Gist.

Think that our current obsession with productivity tools is a modern phenomenon? Think again!

The desire to make work more efficient through the use of specialized tools goes back nearly 3 million years to the start of the Stone Age, during which prehistoric humans shaped stones into helpful utensils that could be used for hammering, cutting and other tasks.

Today, this same enterprising spirit lives on in the laptops, tablets, smartphones and cloud computing technologies that we use in our work lives. But are we really more productive as a result of all the advancements these ancient tools have brought about? Or is it possible that our dogged focus on all things “efficiency” has actually limited the amount of truly productive work we’re able to achieve?

Take a look at our latest infographic for both sides of the argument:

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