Does Being More Productive Really Make You Happier?

Wake up at 5am, exercise and start work before 8am. Meditate, eat your five a day and drink two litres of water. Fit in 10,000 steps and nine hours of sleep. When people paint a picture of an ‘optimised’ life, it’s often a routine where every part of your day is spent being productive.

This, it has long been claimed, is key to greater happiness. Philosophers as far back as Søren Kierkegaard (born in 1813) have reflected on how times of ‘emptiness’ in our lives can lead to feelings of existential crisis. 

When reflecting on the human condition, he said, “There is not a single human being who does not despair at least a little, in whose innermost being there does not dwell an uneasiness, an unquiet, a discordance, an anxiety in the face of an unknown something.”

With that in mind, are those of us who plan our routines to the nth degree actually happier? And what role can our daily commute play in that? Will donning our laptop backpack and making our daily commute as productive as possible give us all the sense of happiness and wellbeing that we’re all so desperately searching for? To find out, we ran a survey of 1,000 UK commuters to understand whether people who lived an optimised and productive life were actually happier than those who didn’t.

Are we a nation of productive people?

Well, our survey found that only 29% of people claimed to optimise their lives for maximum productivity. Instead, most respondents said they preferred to leave their routines open to change and ‘newness’. 

However, it’s important to point out that productivity levels vary by location. People living in Belfast are the most likely to be so (41%), closely followed by Leeds (39%), London and Bristol (36%) and Liverpool (34%). 

Of those who pack their days with tasks, activities and meetings, only 12% say they leave time in their schedule for spontaneity. In contrast, 16% of those who don’t optimise their lives leave space for something unexpected. 

This can be a problem, particularly for older people, says Schomaker. “We find that older adults who score high on measures of novelty seeking and openness to new experiences have higher cognitive reserve, which may protect them from age-related cognitive decline,” she explains. 

However, our survey found that younger generations are most likely to stick to their routines, with 35% of 25 to 34-year-olds and 34% of 18 to 24-year-olds preferring optimisation over spontaneity. 

While age seems to impact whether you’re more likely to schedule your life, your relationship status also does. Widowed and single people were more likely to spend their day productively (39% and 26% respectively), while divorced people felt they had the least control over their lives (19%). 

Are productive people happier in life?

Putting an optimised routine in place can feel like an effort, but is it worthwhile for your wellbeing? Most people with optimised lives say they’re happier, with 55% reporting so in our survey. This compares to 37% of those who are freer with their routine. 

In fact, those who focused on maximising their routines’ productivity came out on top for all wellbeing scores. Alongside higher levels of happiness, they claimed to find more meaning in their every day (43% vs 24%), be (unsurprisingly) more productive (42% vs 21%) and have a more eventful life (26% vs 18%). 

‘Optimisers’ also reported they felt more passionate day-to-day (39% vs 37%). This may be because they allocate space for activities they love, with 13% belonging to social or sporting clubs (compared to 9% of non-optimisers). 

This also involved spending time with their loved ones, with 46% saying they had more meaningful conversations with friends or family compared to 41% of those with looser routines. 

In short, people who focus on making their lives more productive use their time in ways they find fulfilling and that contribute to their happiness. 

How to be more productive

If you find yourself unable to get important stuff done and have enough downtime, then you’ll be looking for a solution. In some cases, figuring out how to be more productive and feel good may feel like a million-dollar question. 

The first thing to note is that there’s no single roadmap to optimising your everyday life. You may have to try several different techniques to see what helps you stick to tasks until you notice the effect.

However, a consistent starting point for everyone is figuring out what daily activities you need to do. Try writing the top ones down on paper before bed and put you list in a place you'll see it the next morning. This is a great way to work out your priorities and whether it's realistic to fit everything in. 

Once you’ve got these noted down, have a go at ticking each item off the list as you go. More generally, you can try the following strategies to maximise your productivity:

• Sleep - Make sure you get enough sleep. Try going to bed a little earlier so you give yourself the chance to get a full 8 hours. 
• Exercise - Create a regular exercise routine (full of activities you enjoy) that you can maintain longer term. You don't need to run 10 miles a day, but you might manage 3 jogs a week.
• Go outside - Get fresh air every day. If you work from home, take a walk round the block or in a local park. If you're commuting, try taking a longer walk on the way home.   
• Know your body - You know your body best. Think about how you're feeling. Understand how your energy levels vary throughout the day and see if you can build a routine to match it.
• Schedule your time - Use tools like a calendar to block out time for different tasks so you know you can fit in all your activities. 
• Allow for me time - If you've mastered living productively, give yourself a break: don't let productivity take over your life. Balance time for you and time getting stuff done. Work out a good form of me time, and make sure you take it.

Sarah Giblin, advocate for thriving in the city and Founder at RiutBag had this to say:

“It sounds so simple but getting a few important things done each day can positively affect how life feels. But as we know, life is also full of things outside our control. Perhaps that’s the secret to thriving in the modern age: plan and actually do what you can, and learn to accept the rest.”

How to be more productive on your commute

The daily commute, particularly if you’re on public transport, is still being written off as productivity dead time, or a time to simply unwind from the day's events. But for many it can be used to our advantage. Our survey found that commuters from Sheffield, Cardiff and Brighton and Belfast feel the most productive in their commutes, with around a third saying they optimise this time. 

So what are the ways they do this? 

The methods to make commutes more productive are similar to those in other areas of life. Planning and blocking out travelling time for different tasks will help you stay focused. Writing down a paper to-do list or personal goals for that journey really helps. 

But not every journey needs to productive. You know when you should work and when to relax or do enjoyable activities, such as listening to music. Getting the balance right between reading a book and must-do tasks will help protect your wellbeing. It’s important to remember that making time to do things we enjoy is essential to avoiding ‘burnout’ and staying productive for longer. 

The UK’s happiest commuter cities

Our survey found a general trend between commuters’ productivity and happiness. Cities with high rates of optimised individuals have the commuters with the brightest mood. Out of those living in Leeds, 53% of those travelling to work said they liked it, with 39% saying they had optimised their lives.  

Just under half of workers in Liverpool and Newcastle (42%) and Sheffield (41%) said they enjoyed commuting to work. All these cities appeared in the top five for the most optimised or productive commuters. This suggests that, unlike what most recent thinkers claim, those who are more productive in work, life and on their commute lead happier lives. 

Sarah Giblin, Urban product designer and Founder at RiutBag, had this to say.

“It's an old stereotype that the commute is lost time. Our survey reveals many people are making the most of their journeys, being productive and more importantly, actually feeling happy. This is great. It means commuters in our most crammed urban spaces are able to adapt and thrive the city in a way that works for them. Mastering city travel is a real art form; it’s no easy task”.

The UK’s most miserable commuter cities

For some however, not even a freshly brewed coffee or donning your best work backpack will help us on the commute. Maybe it’s not getting a seat, or the people who never take off their laptop rucksacks no matter how busy the train is, but some of us are not happy. 

Our study found that although Nottingham, Brighton, London and Bristol ranked in the top five for the number of optimised or productive individuals, they also have the least happy commuters. Only around a quarter of commuters in Nottingham, Bristol and London said they liked the daily travel, along with Glasgow at 22%. 

However, Brighton was the unhappiest commuter city, with only 14% reporting that they enjoyed travelling to work. This is despite 29% of people in the seaside location saying they used this time productively. It’s worth noting that 24% of people from Brighton claim they have an uneventful existence and nearly a third say their ‘life could be more exciting’. 

Connecting on your commute

It can just all be work work work. Whilst many of us prefer to get our heads down or have some quiet time to ourselves on our commute, 20% have witnessed a conversation-worthy event, with 13% saying their commute can be more eventful than their workday. Some people also connect with other commuters, with 16% saying they have given or received help on their journey to work. 

So, although the general trend says people are happier when they optimise their lives for maximum productivity, leaving space for being ‘in the moment’ is just as important to have a happier life and even give you something to talk about.

What happens when commuters unplug and stay present?

Finding a commuter who is unplugged and in tune with their surroundings these days is hard to find, so we tasked Karwing Tang of Bushey, Hertfordshire with commuting for a week without the use of devices, totally unplugged from the digital world.

Karwing has this to say: 

“The first two days were really hard as I’m so used to being on my phone using Whatsapp and listening to music, that’s how I usually unwind before and after work. But surprisingly to me, by day three I was enjoying being unplugged, I actually found that my stress levels seemed lower and I was able to take in the beauty of what was around me. During that week I saw at least three “OMG, did that just happen moments” and managed to spark conversations with two people on the train (one who actually lives just doors away and I never knew), we now do a friendly nod each morning, and that makes me feel good.”

Stay productive and happy on your commute

Our survey results show that a more productive life does make you feel happier and more fulfilled. When it comes to enjoying your journey to work, balance getting important tasks done with staying in the moment. 

The starting point to optimising your commute is knowing what you need to get done that day. If you have a list of important things that need doing, make the most of your travel time. Block out your time to get ahead of work or life admin, then slot in a space to unplug and take in the world and people around you. The balance will do you good.

Staying safe on your commute

To be able to truly switch off or focus on important tasks on your commute through the city, it's worth keeping your belongings handy yet safe. An easy way to do this is with a secure backpack. With all the zips designed against your back, you don’t need to worry about whether your backpack is open or your phone has disappeared because it's designed to be secure. 

Enjoy connecting with the world and people around you without being hyper-vigilant in a crowd. With features designed to give you total peace of mind on your everyday commute, RiutBags have been created to help travellers feel secure, positive and calm. So you can stay productive, present and happier on your daily journey.