How productive are we really? SpeedRead.io conducted an online survey among 548 US adults asking about their attitudes, behaviors and advice regarding personal productivity. These are the results.

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adults were asked about their attitudes,
behaviors and advice regarding personal
productivity. These are the results.
548

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We’re struggling to keep up
particularly during middle
age when children and career
pile on the pressure.
#1

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We’re wasting our time on
social media when we’d
rather be learning a new
language.
#2

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Morning productivity rituals
pay off. Handsomely.
#3

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The To-Do List is still king of
productivity tools (but tech
is making an impact).
#4

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Personal productivity skills
may have a place in the
school curriculum.
#5

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Crowdsourced wisdom: The
world is yours if you focus,
prioritize and plan ahead.
#6

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In Depth Results

9. of people are dissatisfied with their
level of personal productivity rising to
18% among 35-44 year olds and 21%
amongst 45-54 year olds.
16%
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10. of those unsatisfied with their level of
productivity feel totally overwhelmed
at least some of the time peaking
amongst 35-54 year olds.
89%
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11. of 35-44 year olds not satisfied with
their level of personal productivity
quote their output at work as the
main challenge.
82%
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Wasting time browsing
the web or using social
media, commuting, and
interruptions at work
were the most frequently
quoted reasons for
diminished productivity.
Productivity Killers
37%
16%
13%
Social Media
Commuting
Interruptions

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of respondents expressed a desire to
limit their browsing or social media
activity. 7% have deleted one or
more apps in order to help achieve
this.
32%

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Given no work, time or
financial constraints the
top three things people
would like to do is travel,
go back to school, or
learn a new language.
Time to escape?
25%
14%
11%
Travel
School
Language

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of people regularly engage in some
kind of morning ritual designed to
support their personal productivity.
28%

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Exercise, meditation, and
planning the day ahead
were the most frequently
mentioned morning ritual
activities.
Get ritualistic
45%
17%
8%
Exercise
Meditation
Planning

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of respondents who always engage in
a morning ritual were satisfied with
their levels of personal productivity
versus just 76% of all respondents.
93%

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of those who always engage in a
morning ritual suffer from feelings of
overwhelm versus 14% or all
respondents.
7%

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Participation in morning rituals
increases with seniority, peaking at
91% amongst business owners.
Morning rituals pay

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College graduates and postgraduates
are most likely to engage in a
morning ritual (38% and 46%
respectively).
Morning rituals pay

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of respondents still rely on the
humble to-do list in order to organize
their day.
15%

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Notable productivity apps mentioned
by respondents included Trello,
Evernote, Google Docs, OneNote, and
Wunderlist.
Tools of the trade

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of people would like to better be able
to prioritize their tasks. This peaks at
30% for 35-44 year olds.
21%

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of those with a college degree feel like
they should prioritize better. This
doubles to 36% of those with just
“some college” education.
18%

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of full time workers would like to be
able to prioritize better. This rises to
38% amongst part-time workers and
27% for the unemployed.
17%

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When asked for their #1
piece of productivity
advice respondents
consistently quoted
focus, prioritizing, and
planning ahead as their
top advice.
Take some advice
33%
26%
18%
Focus
Prioritize
Plan Ahead

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Focus.
Eliminate distractions. Leave Facebook and Twitter.
Focus only on what you are trying to achieve. Write
clear goals listing the benefits of attaining these.
Then make sure to work on those for 2-3 hours
daily, uninterrupted, whether you feel like it or not.
- Survey Respondent
“
”

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Prioritize.
“
”
Avoid at all costs getting bogged down in trivia. First
thing in the day do the most important tasks which
have the highest impact on achieving your goals.
- Survey Respondent

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Plan Ahead.
“
”
I typically start planning for my week on Sunday
evening. I then plan each day as soon as I wake up.
I pick 2 or 3 things that I absolutely must achieve
that day and, as a rule, these are the first things I
do. Plan, plan, plan.
- Survey Respondent

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Contact us at team@speedread.io
Questions?

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