Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout

by Cal Newport

The relentless overload that’s wearing us down is generated by a belief that “good” work requires increasing busyness—faster

SLOW PRODUCTIVITY A philosophy for organizing knowledge work efforts in a sustainable and meaningful manner, based on the following three principles: 1. Do fewer things. 2. Work at a natural pace. 3. Obsess over quality.

slow productivity doesn’t ask that you extinguish ambition.

Strive to reduce your obligations to the point where you can easily imagine accomplishing them with time to spare. Leverage this reduced load to more fully embrace and advance the small number of projects that matter most.

But we don’t need science to convince us of something that we’ve all experienced directly: our brains work better when we’re not rushing.

it’s hard to maintain five or more missions without the feeling you’re drowning in unavoidable work.

The reality is that saying no isn’t so bad if you have hard evidence that it’s the only reasonable answer.

Small tasks, in sufficient quantity, can act like productivity termites, destabilizing the whole foundation of what you’re trying to build. It’s worth going to great lengths to tame them.

Be clear about what’s going on, and deliver on your promises, even if these promises have to change.

become comfortable taking longer on important projects.

A reality of personal productivity is that humans are not great at estimating the time required for cognitive endeavors.

When it comes to taming appointments, a good target is to ensure that no more than half of the hours in any single day are dedicated to meetings or calls.

Obsess over the quality of what you produce, even if this means missing opportunities in the short term. Leverage the value of these results to gain more and more freedom in your efforts over the long term.

obsessing over quality often demands that you slow down, as the focus required to get better is simply not compatible with busyness.

“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do,”

Once you commit to doing something very well, busyness becomes intolerable.

Do fewer things. Work at a natural pace. Obsess over quality.