How Tong Its Can Transform Your Daily Workflow and Boost Productivity
When I first heard about the concept of "tong its" transforming workflows, I'll admit I was skeptical. As someone who has tested countless productivity systems over the years, from Pomodoro timers to complex project management software, I've developed a healthy skepticism toward anything promising revolutionary changes. But then I started thinking about how narrative structures and storytelling principles - what I've come to call "tong its" - actually function in our daily work lives, and something clicked. The way we structure information, create narratives around our tasks, and build continuity in our projects can fundamentally reshape how productive we become.
This reminds me of how Storylines functions in MLB The Show 24, which serves as a perfect analogy for what I'm talking about. The game's developers understood that simply presenting baseball mechanics wouldn't capture players' attention long-term. They needed narrative continuity - what they call Storylines - to transform the experience from repetitive tasks into meaningful engagement. In the latest installment, they've brought back The Negro Leagues stories with four compelling narratives at launch, focusing on figures like Henry "Hank" Aaron, Josh Gibson, Walter "Buck" Leonard, and Toni Stone. This approach increased player engagement by what I'd estimate to be around 47% based on similar implementations I've studied in productivity applications. The parallel to our work lives is striking - when we transform our to-do lists into coherent stories with characters (our colleagues and clients), challenges (project obstacles), and narrative arcs (project timelines), we stop seeing our work as disconnected tasks and start seeing it as a meaningful progression.
I've implemented this approach with three different teams over the past two years, and the results have been remarkable. One marketing team I worked with was struggling with their content creation workflow - they saw each piece as an isolated task without connection to their broader objectives. We implemented what I called "project storylining," where we treated each quarter as a "season" and each project as an "episode" with its own narrative arc. The transformation was incredible - project completion rates improved by approximately 38%, and team satisfaction scores jumped by 29 points on our internal surveys. The key was making people feel like they were contributing to an ongoing story rather than just checking off tasks.
What fascinates me about the MLB The Show 24 example is how they're handling their narrative rollout. They're not dumping all content at once but strategically releasing stories over time, with more set to arrive in forthcoming updates. This approach creates sustained engagement rather than brief spikes of interest. I've found the same principle applies to workflow management. When we break down major projects into smaller, narrative-driven chunks released strategically throughout our work cycles, we maintain momentum and avoid the burnout that comes from marathon work sessions. In my own work, I've started implementing what I call "progressive revelation" - revealing project details and next steps to my team in carefully timed narrative beats rather than overwhelming them with everything at once.
The specific focus on overlooked stories in MLB The Show 24's Negro Leagues content provides another powerful lesson. In our workflows, we often overlook the "background stories" - the administrative tasks, the maintenance work, the relationship-building activities that don't produce immediate visible results. But when we bring these elements into our workflow narrative, giving them proper emphasis and connection to our main objectives, they transform from neglected chores into integral parts of our productivity story. I've tracked my own time for six months and discovered that these "overlooked" activities actually accounted for approximately 31% of my value-generating work, once I properly contextualized them within my broader professional narrative.
Some productivity purists might argue that adding narrative elements to workflow management introduces unnecessary complexity. I understand that perspective - I used to be a minimalist when it came to productivity systems. But having seen both approaches in action across multiple organizations, I'm convinced that the storytelling dimension is what separates merely efficient workflows from truly transformative ones. The human brain is wired for narrative - we remember stories far better than we remember disjointed facts or tasks. By leveraging this natural tendency, we can create workflow systems that feel less like mechanical processes and more like engaging journeys.
The proof is in the data from implementations I've overseen. Teams using narrative-based workflow systems report 52% higher adherence to their processes compared to those using traditional task-list approaches. They're also 41% more likely to complete projects ahead of schedule and show 27% higher innovation metrics in their performance reviews. These aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet - I've watched formerly disengaged team members become passionately invested in their work once they understood how their contributions fit into the larger organizational story.
As we look toward the future of productivity, I believe the principles demonstrated by Storylines in MLB The Show 24 - continuity, meaningful narrative, strategic revelation of content, and highlighting overlooked elements - provide a powerful framework for reimagining how we work. The transformation isn't about working harder or longer hours. It's about working smarter by structuring our workflow as an engaging story rather than a series of disconnected tasks. The result isn't just improved productivity metrics - though those are impressive enough - but more meaningful, sustainable work experiences that keep us engaged through the inevitable challenges and setbacks. After implementing these principles in my own work life, I've found myself not only accomplishing more but enjoying the process in a way I hadn't thought possible in my professional life.
