#52: The Productivity edition
I have a love-hate relationship with the modern obsession with productivity. Like many, I have more things I would like to get done in any given day than there is time, so I have an aversion to spending longer than is necessary on any given task (well at least the less engaging jobs).
But I’m also very familiar with what can happen when one gets a little too deep into the world of productivity systems, creating a self-induced form of anxiety and stress that comes from trying to spend every minute as optimally as possible and squeeze too much into each week.
There’s a fine balance to strike. And the advice I give these days is first be as ruthless as possible in pairing down your To-do list to only the most essential tasks before engaging in any activities or systems designed to maximise your productivity.
And being sure to time box and keep separate your ‘productive hours’ from the critically important downtime that you safeguard for leisure and recharging.
Otherwise, all you’ll succeed in doing is turning yourself into a productivity machine – a ‘human doing’ if you will, rather than a human being. As the saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
So please bear that in mind as you enjoy this week’s The Power Up. In sharing resources to increase your productivity, my goal is to help you be more effective in the time you allot to work and chores so that you can savour the rest of your life even more.
In this week’s issue:
// Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
// 21 Keys to Creative Productivity
// 6 ways daily exercise skyrockets your productivity
// How to survive Productivity and win at life: When slacking trumps time hacking
// Why time management is ruining our lives
// The dark side of focused productivity
// What is productivity? And proven ways to improve it
Plus plenty of productivity-themed bonus content too…
As ever, I hope there’s something you can take away to Power Up your life in some way, helping you do more of what’s most important to you.
Enjoy…
