I recently put together a video describing some of the benefits of the free program that I’m about to offer during 2Time Labs’ upcoming Open House. In the middle of editing the recording, I felt guilty and a little ashamed. After all, I was telling the world how weak we as a people are in this area, and it felt as if I were washing my dirty linen in public.
Then I read this article published recently based on a speech given by Bryan Wynter, Governor of the Bank of Jamaica, which is our Central Bank (the equivalent of the Federal Reserve.) The article said:
Total factor productivity, which captures the overall efficiency of production, has declined at an average rate of 2.1 per cent every year over the period 1990 to 2010. Similarly, labour productivity, which measures output per worker, contracted at an average rate of 0.5 per cent per year over the same period,” he noted.
He also observed that Jamaica’s labour productivity has lagged behind its major trading partners, as well as a number of emerging market economies.
“Against this background, Jamaica’s annual economic growth over the past decade has averaged 0.8 per cent. This is in contrast to average economic growth of 2.6 per cent per year for our Caribbean neighbours,” Mr. Wynter pointed out.
The Central Bank Governor identified a number of factors which have contributed to Jamaica’s low productivity over the years. These include: deficiencies in human capital; high levels of crime; fiscal distortions; and a poor work ethic.
What I know from living and working in the U.S. for over 20 years is that Jamaican workers who migrate are just as productive as anyone else. The right environment makes all the difference. Part of what originally got me inspired was a need to replace the excellent mentors, role models and coaching that I observed in the American workplace with something quite different that could be used anywhere – a pathway that anyone could take to improve their time management and productivity skills.
It was the spark that led to 2Time Labs, MyTimeDesign, and NewHabits-NewGoals, which was fueled by the further insight that I had… everyone who wants the benefits of greater personal productivity eventually runs out of others to copy and imitate and must find a way to teach themselves a method that works for them.
So, it might be strange to take a time management program designed by someone living in Jamaica – we are more known for being very, very fast, and very, very laid back (some contradiction)! We’re not so well known for our productivity, which funny enough, is exactly why I have been so inspired.
P.S. Update on the timing of the Open House. In the middle of migrating to the new version of MyTimeDesign it dawned on me that there are a lot of upgrades I want to make… so rather than rush them, I’m giving myself a bit of time to migrate from 1.0.Plus+ to 1.1.Plus+. Stay tuned…