Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout

by Cal Newport

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.

PSEUDO-PRODUCTIVITY The use of visible activity as the primary means of approximating actual productive effort.

Slow productivity supports legacy-building accomplishments but allows them to unfold at a more human speed.

A key tenet of slow productivity is that grand achievement is built on the steady accumulation of modest results over time. This path is long. Pace yourself.

We’ve become so used to the idea that the only reward for getting better is moving toward higher income and increased responsibilities that we forget that the fruits of pursuing quality can also be harvested in the form of a more sustainable lifestyle.

Slowing down isn’t about protesting work. It’s instead about finding a better way to do it.

Revolution requires rebellions of many different scopes, from the practical and immediate to the fiery and ideological.