The need for business to shift focus from time to value

Keywords: productivity, effectiveness, mentalhealth, leadership, value

Date: 11 October 2024, WorkLife Digital


The relentless push for productivity in modern work environments often overlooks the real costs it imposes on both output and mental well-being. While maximizing efficiency is important for businesses to thrive, there needs to be a careful balance to ensure that the work produced is both valuable and effective. Industries like law and finance have become notorious for their pressure to bill hours, leading to increasing rates of burnout and a decline in quality. This aggressive focus on productivity misconstrues how our brains function, ultimately making workers less effective and less creative.

The neuroscience behind productivity

There is a common misconception that filling every waking moment with activity leads to better outcomes. However, recent discoveries in neuroscience reveal that this kind of relentless optimisation may be doing more harm than good.

A central player in the brain's regulation of focus is a tiny cluster of neurons in the brainstem known as the locus coeruleus. This structure functions like a master switch for cognitive engagement. Research shows that it operates in three gears: Gear 1 allows the mind to wander, Gear 2 is the sweet spot of focused concentration, and Gear 3 kicks in during high-stress situations requiring hyper-alertness. What the latest findings suggest is that Gear 2, which provides a balance of focus and creativity, is the ideal state for most cognitive work.

When we push ourselves too hard, aiming for ever-increasing output, the locus coeruleus easily shifts into Gear 3. In this mode, our brain is primed for survival responses rather than deep thinking or creative problem-solving. While this heightened state of alertness is useful in emergencies, it limits our ability to think analytically or with nuance. In the long term, staying in Gear 3 leads to mental fatigue, poor decision-making, and eventually burnout.

The impact on industries like law

This problem is particularly acute in industries like law, where the pressure to bill hours often takes precedence over the quality of work. Legal professionals find themselves in a cycle of constantly needing to perform at maximum capacity, regardless of whether this improves outcomes for clients or the firm. The relentless focus on increasing hours and output leads to poor mental well-being and declining levels of satisfaction.

This continuous drive to work at top speed can push individuals into a state of cognitive overload, where they are no longer functioning optimally. Burnout becomes a natural consequence, with professionals feeling mentally exhausted, emotionally drained, and detached from their work. Not only does this diminish the quality of legal counsel, but it also increases the likelihood of mistakes, which could have costly consequences for clients.

The productivity paradox

The irony is that pushing harder for productivity can, in fact, lead to diminished productivity in the long run. Staying in a high-alert state reduces the brain's ability to be flexible, creative, and thoughtful, all of which are crucial for effective problem-solving. And while many businesses prioritise the number of hours worked as a measure of success, they fail to recognise that cognitive performance is far more important. An exhausted mind cannot function at its best, and this applies across industries.

The productivity paradox is that downtime, far from being a waste of time, is essential for maintaining high levels of output and creativity. Our brains are not machines that can run non-stop without losing efficiency. Just as muscles need rest to grow stronger, the brain requires periods of disengagement to function optimally. This explains why some of our best ideas come when we are relaxing or allowing our thoughts to drift rather than focusing intently on a problem.

Shifting focus from time to value

The shift that needs to happen in business is from an obsession with hours and tasks completed to a focus on the value produced. Businesses must start looking at output through the lens of effectiveness, not just efficiency. This means recognising when downtime and cognitive rest are necessary to ensure that work remains innovative and high-quality. Employees should be encouraged to take breaks, limit multitasking, and have time for reflection.

By cultivating an environment that allows workers to oscillate between periods of focus and rest, businesses can improve the quality of work produced while also safeguarding employee mental health. For leaders, this involves understanding that more time spent on a task does not always correlate with better results. Sometimes, stepping away from a problem and returning to it with fresh eyes is the most productive approach.


WorkLife Digital is a global mental-wellbeing consultancy driven by the mission to improve the sustainability of businesses. Our psychological wellbeing tool, Worklife Quotient (WL-Q), is modelled on cutting-edge scientific research and provides organisation-wide measurement and intelligence on the mental wellbeing levels and psychological resilience of staff. WL-Q also assesses the impact of organisational practices (i.e. people and culture, leadership styles, organisational purpose and values, social impact) that have a direct influence on staff wellbeing and provides strategic recommendations on addressing risks and promoting strengths.

For more information, get in touch at lisa@worklife.digital

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