Slow Productivity

Take-Aways

· Knowledge workers need a new work philosophy: “slow productivity.”

· Knowledge workers “perform busyness” while hurtling toward burnout.

· If you have a reasonable degree of control over your workflow, you can adopt slow productivity.

· Do fewer things: exercise a “pull-based” work process to prioritize what matters most.

. Work at a natural pace: take your time with work that matters and vary the intensity of your efforts.

· Obsess over quality: opt for simplification and slowness to escape the trap of pseudo-productivity.

· Slow productivity could inspire a wave of related social movements.

Summary

Knowledge Workers Need a New Work Philosophy: “slow productivity.”

3 fundamental principles of slow productivity drive long-term results:

1. do fewer things
2. work at a natural pace
3. obsess over quality

Do Fewer Things: Exercise a “pull-based” Work Process to Prioritize what Matters Most

• Consciously reduce the size and number of your work obligations.
• Rein in your goals.
• Focus your energy on just one target each day.
• Delegate administrative work to others
• Always do certain tasks on certain days, at specific times.
• Have short, real-time, “docket-clearing meetings,” instead of drawn-out, asynchronous email conversations to clarify pending tasks.
• Aspire to have time to spare after completing your projects rather than rushing to meet deadlines.

Switch from “push-based” work processes - in which completion of a project stage instantly triggers the onset of the next stage, regardless of whether those handling that next step can take it on - to “pull-based” processes, whereby workers begin new phases of work only when they’re ready to do so.

The pull-based approach eliminates backlogs. If you are empowered to change your team’s or company’s workflow, leveraging pull-based processes will help you finish projects more quickly, as team members won’t feel overloaded.

1. Create a “holding tank” and use “active lists” - Divide all the projects you’re responsible for into two lists: “holding tank” and “active.” Place new projects onto your holding tank list to tackle later. Have no more than three high-priority projects on your active list at any given time, and dedicate all your attention to them.
2. Establish an “intake procedure” - When people assign new projects to you, send a message to acknowledge your formal commitment to the project while including three details: a request for any additional information you might need before starting, the number of projects you’re currently working on, and an estimate regarding when you expect to deliver the completed work.
3. Update your lists - Each week, add new projects, move projects from your holding-tank list to your active list, review your deadlines, and send updates on work you can’t finish by the promised deadlines.

Work at a Natural Pace: Take Your time with Work that Matters and Vary the Intensity of Your Efforts

• Resist the temptation to rush through your high-priority work, pushing yourself to exhaustion.
• Make a five-year plan for what you’d like to accomplish - your plan will reorient you when you veer off course and help you to feel more at ease if you face early rejection or failure.
• Double the length of your project timelines.
• Reduce your number of small tasks and appointments, freeing time to focus on your most high-priority projects.
• If you must attend a meeting, schedule a time of equal length to work toward your goals.

Obsess over Quality: Opt for Simplification and Slowness to Escape the Trap of Pseudo-productivity

• Pursue high quality with fervor.
• Don’t seize every opportunity; you can’t generate quality work when overloaded.
• Identify core activities within your job where high quality is a must

To Boost the Quality of Your Work, Consider Doing the following

• Refine your “taste” - Think of taste as your “internal filter” that helps you define what brilliance means to you.
• Take time to improve your taste by studying others’ work.
• Invest in your materials
• Bet on yourself - engineer situations where you’ll feel moderate pressure to produce high-quality results on your own terms.