Work too much. Work too little. Have too little information. Have too much information. Have not enough help. Have too many doing too much when not wanted. Too little pressure to complete. Too much pressure to complete. Too few tools. So many tools it becomes overly complex.
There are all types of factors that are involved with being productive. Those factors are usually on a sliding scale and, often, they may be interdependent. The most challenging aspect is that every person has a different set of "calibrations" -- what they need for optimal work -- and may have to find those conditions through iteration rather than analysis.
People often do this accidentally as they move through their careers. In much of the technological world, we have trained ourselves to ignore indications from our bodies as well as our psyches. What do we need versus what do we want? Am I actually still hungry or am I eating as a placeholder for something else? Will I really be able to be productive working another three hours or will I end up redoing the work in the morning after I have collapsed for a number of hours? We often don't know.
We look for ways that our environment will provide us a framework to help us through these choices. There is nothing wrong with such a framework and companies that are endeavoring to provide such should be appreciated and applauded. But, in the end, what is good for one person may not be good for another and it still needs to be absorbed, and understood, by the mind and body.
This is the point at which observation skills and experience come into play for leaders. Evaluate by results AND by the observed stress and happiness level (recognizing that some are really good at hiding such from themselves and others). Keep lines of communication clear. Err on the side of less pressure, information, and workload. Listen.
