Your productivity system won’t make you productive.
It’s not going to complete your tasks for you.
It’s not going to make you feel free to gush out creativity.
It’s not going to make a difference whether you get done what you need to in the time you need to.
Most productivity porn is disguised procrastination.
“…and then I’ll be able to knock out all these to-do’s”
Sure, you can organize your tasks better. You can make better systems. You can track them better. You can make them easier to collaborate or share transparently with others.
But if anything, over-engineering and over-optimizing with productivity tips is actually counter productive.
Less is more. Simpler is better.
Productivity tips don’t make you productive.
You know what will make you productive?
Discipline.
Productivity is fighting what Steven Pressfield called The Resistance.
“Sitting around waiting for inspiration is for amateurs. If you’re a professional, you show up every day at work.” — Mara Altman
Productivity is showing up. It’s simply doing something. Anything. Ideally the most important things, but anything is better than nothing.
A lack of productivity is usually a lack of conviction.
Discipline is born out of conviction.
Is what you’re working on important to you? Is it connected to your mission? Does it matter if it gets done?
Which is better: getting more meaningless things done or getting fewer meaningful things done?
Be selective about what you’re producing.
If it’s important, do it. If it’s not important, don’t.
YOU make yourself productive.
