Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Slow Productivity -

• Do fewer things

• Work at a natural pace

• Obsess over quality

• Varies and humane pace

• Balance of hard periods and relaxation

• NOT performative activity

Pseudo Productivity -

• Visible activity ~ productive effort leads to pseudo productivity

Knowledge Work

• Economic activity

• Knowledge transformed into artifact with market value

• Cognitive effort

Do Fewer Things

• Reduce your obligations

• Fewer projects that matter most, embraced fully

Say no proactively

• If you wait till you feel exhausted, you will always have unsustainable workloads

• Permanently exhausted

• Almost at the tipping point of burn out

Apply Limits

• Overarching missions

• Ongoing projects

• Daily goals Intentionally set limits at all these scales

Work at a Natural Pace

• Don't rush most important work

• Allow work to unfold along a sustainable timeline

• Variation in intensity

Continuous Intensity is Artificial

• Unceasing intensity is unsustainable

• Its against our fundamental nature

• Generates misery

Take Longer

• Be comfortable taking longer

• Trust yourself to NOT procrastinate

• Make a 5 year plan

Double Your Timelines

• Humans are bad at estimations

• Especially non-physical projects

• Most of our estimates are guesses or wishful thinking - best case scenarios

• Grand achievement = Steady accumulation of modest results over time

• The path is long, pace yourself

Simplify Your Workday

• Reduce your task list by 50%

• No more than half of working hours for meetings or calls

• Declare certain "Protected Hours"

Forgive Yourself

• Timing work is tricky

• Its ok if you take longer

• Its ok if you miss deadlines and opportunities

• You're NOT lazy

Embrace Seasonality

• Vary intensity and focus throughout the year

• Work without change or rest is unnatural

• Seasonality is deeply integrated into the human experience

Schedule Slow Seasons

• Have an "off season" with no major projects

• Slow down a few months throughout the year

Shorter work year

• Have annual extended escapes from work

• Its okay if you make less money because of it

• Nothing terrible will happen if you work less

Small Seasonality

• Take a random weekday off once or twice a month

• Spend a summer away

• "No Meeting Mondays"

• See a Matinee movie once a month

Obsess Over Quality

• Quality > Quick returns

• Quality of work is more important even if you miss short term opportunities

• Quality and Slowness are correlated

• Commit to doing everything "very well"

Improve Your Taste

• Quality in work comes from reps

• Do LOT of work

• Have strong internal filters for quality

• Immerse yourself in appreciation for fields that are different from your own - like Cinema, or Art

Gather with a group

• Collective taste of a group is better than an individuals

• Have discussions about your work and industry with others

• Learn from and teach them

Spend for Quality Tools

• Quality tools -> Quality work

• "I'm a pro now" vibe

• Expensive tools -> Signal to self that you're serious about this

Perfectionism?

• Give yourself enough time to do quality work

• But NOT unlimited time

• Progress matters more than perfection

Bet on Yourself

• Non trivial stakes for failure

• Attractive rewards for success

• This is how you push the quality of your work