How to not be productive (6 Productivity Killers)
”Who you are, what you think, feel, and do, what you love — is the sum of what you focus on.” – Cal Newport
Cal Newport (pictured above) is an MIT-trained computer science professor at Georgetown University, writer and podcast host. His work focuses on the intersections of technology, work, and the quest to find depth in an increasingly distracted world (learn more here). His Deep Questions podcast is one of my favorites, and his books include multiple New York Times bestsellers, including, most recently, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout.
In this book, Newport takes aim at a concept he calls pseudo-productivity, which he defines as the “use of visible activity as the primary means of approximating actual productive effort”. People who succumb to pseudo-productivity spend virtually all of their time doing tasks that feel productive—like answering emails or attending meetings—but don’t contribute significantly to long-term goals. This creates a false sense of accomplishment, leads to business rather than meaningful progress, and carries a high risk of eventual exhaustion.
Slow Productivity is Newport’s antidote to pseudo-productivity. It’s a “philosophy for organizing knowledge work efforts in a sustainable and meaningful manner”. I read the book earlier this year and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to become strategic in accomplishing more with less stress. To get you started on this quest, here are the six most common signs of pseudo-productivity that I see holding people f back – and my best tactics to avoid them. They look like hustle, seem like commitment, and feel like effort. Yet, they actually are productivity killers that drain your energy and sabotage your success.
How to do it
1) Always being available
Constant availability sets you up for burnout. Choose work hours and stick to them. Let your team know when you’re available and use tools like “Do Not Disturb” to avoid interruptions. Have a “Shutdown Ritual” to systematically move from work mode to non-work mode at the end of your day. For Newport, this ritual was key to becoming an ultra-successful scientist, writer and podcaster while rarely working past 5.30 pm. “If you strictly follow this shutdown ritual”, Newport writes, “you’ll soon discover that not only are you working harder when you work, but your time after work is more meaningful and restorative than ever before”. If you want to dive deeper, check out this article.
2) Getting stuck in hustle culture
Glorifying busyness over real results is a bad idea. Make time to rest. Schedule regular breaks to recharge. Remember, good work comes from being rested, not working non-stop. The most important form of rest is sleep. According to Stanford professor Andrew Huberman, sleep is the foundation of our mental and physical health and performance in all endeavors. Yet, mere quantity (think 8 hours of shallow sleep) isn’t good enough. You also need quality sleep, most notably 90 minutes of deep sleep. Get started with our 3T Method (around time givers, technology and timing) here.
3) Multitasking
Splitting your focus kills productive work. Use tools like Timeboxing and the Pomodoro Technique to stay focused on one task. Work in short bursts, then take a break. Popularized by productivity expert Nir Eyal, Timeboxing is the best place to start. It’s how the most successful and busy entrepreneurs of our time – including Bill Gates and Elon Musk – ace their days. Timeboxing essentially is about turning everything you do throughout your workday into an appointment with yourself, including focusing deeply and taking breaks. If you want to dive deeper, read this.
4) Perfectionism
Progress is better than waiting for perfection. Set simple goals and focus on getting things done, not making them perfect. Moving forward is better than getting stuck. Productivity is about accomplishing our goals – by getting the most of what matters out of our limited time, energy and attention. As a result, being productive requires us to be intentional about spending these three resources wisely. A great way to pull this off is setting three major weekly goals for the week – and then breaking these goals down into three daily goals each morning. Having three goals forces you to figure out what matters most and lets you maintain awareness, deliberateness and intentionality at work. Learn more about how and why in this article.
5) Constant distractions
Most people let interruptions dictate their day. Don’t be most people. Find out what distracts you, like social media or noise, and take steps to prevent it. Use blockers or headphones to help you stay focused. Most importantly, build your day around 60-90 minutes of deep work. That amount a day doubles your overall productivity, McKinsey found. Follow our 30-3-11 Rule and pick one of three times to focus deeply: ~30 minutes after waking, ~3 hours after waking, or ~11 hours after waking. These times are when you’re best able to focus (due to your “circadian rhythm”). Learn more about optimizing for deep focus here.
6) Overcommitting
Saying “yes” to everything is a sure way to dilute your impact. Before taking on new tasks, check your workload. Say “no” to things that don’t fit your main goals or that might overwhelm you. Entrepreneur and writer Derek Sivers has a simple rule to pull this off: “Hell Yeah or No”. When deciding whether to do something, if you feel anything less than “Hell Yeah”, say “No”. The rule is a terrific way to determine what (not) to spend your time, energy and attention on. If you want to delve deeper into Sivers’ rule and his work, read this.
It’s easy to mistake motion for improvement.
Real progress is quiet, focused, and intentional.
Stop spinning your wheels. Start driving real results.