Your Productivity Guide for 2024: Mindset, Setup, Action

When it comes to unaccomplished goals, either from missed resolutions or goals you’ve set this year but made no progress on them, it’s good to revise and regroup. Whether it’s the beginning of the year, or the beginning of autumn—which feels like a fresh start, doesn’t it?—you’ll want to make the most of your time, energy, and skill.

Granted, there’s no hotter buzzword right now than productivity. The overflow of information on productivity can confuse you to the degree that you wouldn’t even know where to start.

To help alleviate some of that information anxiety, I’ve compiled and compressed a hefty amount of information (links and resources) into a quick and easy guide. It touches on three core elements – mindset, setup, and action. It will give you a bird’s-eye view of productivity so you can jumpstart your personal and professional growth today without much fret.

How to approach this guide on productivity:

1. Understand that people have different standards and opinions of what “personal productivity” or “success” should look like.
2. Trial and error. Try and see what works best for you. Adopt and adapt productivity systems and techniques to suit your needs.
3. Take action. For it is better to be productive for 10 minutes than to think for 10 hours about being productive. Use the productivity apps and resources mentioned below.

What is productivity?

Productivity is twofold:

Workforce productivity is the total amount of goods and services workers produce in a particular time frame. It refers to how a business can become more productive in the least time-consuming way to achieve a profitable goal—read up on how to calculate workforce productivity here. For example, it’s how a fast food joint can make more profit as workers make and sell more burgers per hour. The emphasis is on quantity.

As Paul Krugman famously put it:

Productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run, it is almost everything. A country’s ability to improve its standard of living over time depends almost entirely on its ability to raise its output per worker. – Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize Winner in Economic Sciences

Then there is personal productivity, namely the relevant output of an individual in a certain period. It refers to how you can become more productive in the least time-consuming way to achieve a (personal) goal. Indeed, personal productivity applies to the workplace, yet its focus is on the individual rather than the business.

This type of productivity encourages a workplace culture of outstanding productivity. Basically, how a fast food joint can make more profit as workers make and sell burgers per hour by serving the customers better, making fewer mistakes, wasting fewer ingredients, improving the burger-making process, etc. The emphasis is on quality.

Dan Kennedy defines productivity as:
“The deliberate, strategic investment of your time, talent, intelligence, energy, resources, and opportunities in a manner calculated to move you measurably closer to meaningful goals.”

The most common factors influencing personal productivity are motivation, personality, natural talent, training, education, environment, support, time management, luck, and good health. In addition, this article describes productivity factors you’ve never even considered. This guide will focus on personal productivity from here on.

Ten simple ways to be more productive

Here are several actionable steps for beginners I will touch on in our guide, so keep an eye out for further explanation:

1. Track your time.
2. Take regular breaks.
3. Turn off notifications.
4. Implement Olenski’s 2-minute Rule.
5. Use a Pomodoro to tackle procrastination.
6. Quit multitasking.
7. Setup your workspace.
8. Plan your day.
9. Minimize interruptions.
10. Give up perfectionism (lol, this is incredibly difficult).

Basic concepts for outstanding productivity

1. Efficiency

Efficiency means doing things quickly, while effectiveness is doing the right things.

Outstanding productivity occurs when besides the simple output per unit of time—Bob making 20 burgers per hour—you focus on efficiency too—Bob making 15 burgers per hour at the same time, not getting orders mixed up, using the right amount of ingredients, being friendly to the customers, etc.

If you only read the numbers, you’d think the simple output is enough, but those customers might not return for another burger.

Ultimately, quality trumps quantity.

Extrapolate this to the team level; you can see how effective (team) communication makes or breaks a project. Miscommunication, a blunt email, or a misunderstood direction can add unnecessary hours to a project. If you’re interested to read more about effective communication, here are a few articles:

• Team Communication: Why It’s Important and How to Improve It
• Team Communication And Customer Relations – Is There A Connection?
• Why Management Needs Perfect Written Communication Skills (And How To Develop Them)
• Asynchronous Isn’t Wrong: How to Encourage Communication for Your Sales Team

An example of Team and Individual OKRs

2. Focus

The brain is wired to alternate between focused and unfocused states. The brain’s focused state consumes 25% of your body’s energy, yet it affects your mental stamina. Excessive focus tires the brain, making you lose control, become more impulsive, irritable, and less willing to collaborate.

Contrary to popular belief, an unfocused brain is good for your cognitive and social processing. It takes up 20% of the body’s energy while at rest, which is why it is called an “unfocused” brain. The “default mode network” (DMN) is a network of interacting brain regions that is active when a person is not focused on the outside world.

The DMN helps the individual retrieve memories, make connections, link ideas, be more creative, and predict things more accurately. You can train the DMN through positive-constructive daydreaming, walking, aerobic exercises, or napping. Read other research articles on the DMN for more tips.

The Pomodoro cycle at a glance

3. Prioritization

The best productivity strategy regarding your prioritization processes is the Eisenhower Matrix. This methodology covers just about everything you need to know about when to tackle AND juggle urgent and important tasks. In addition, you need to establish your productivity curve. There are certain times during the day when you are naturally more productive. Don’t fight against your natural highs and lows; focus and plan your most important tasks.

Another helpful tip for prioritization is to challenge your thinking and discard the sunk cost fallacy. Just because you’ve poured dozens of hours into a project doesn’t mean you need to prioritize it over what truly matters. The best thing you can do is to stop, reschedule, and refocus on what’s meaningful. This is how you can stay truly productive. Busyness means neither engagement nor deep work.

4. Planning

To be truly productive, you must have a clear path to success. Be patient. Write down your goals, objectives, and initiatives. Take the time to research and break down the project into actionable tasks. Review them monthly or weekly.

For teamwork, a great way to plan and visualize tasks and activities is to use Gantt charts. You can create dependencies to understand how tasks relate, spot the most critical tasks, and share the project progress. If you are unfamiliar with Gantt charts, read this comprehensive guide on how to make a Gantt chart and this article on how to use it to plan your projects.

In addition, the tools on this list of the best project planning software will help you save time, be more productive, and learn the ropes of project planning. Ask yourself these seven questions before starting or taking on a new project so you don’t fall into common project management fallacies. To take this to the next level, study A Very Practical Guide to Start Managing Your Projects.

GTD Diagram to get you started

5. Habit building

Gamify habit-building. Apps like Habitica, Epic Win (iOS only), and Loop Habit Tracker help you achieve your goals, be more productive, and have fun. If you want a simple habit tracker for your daily routine, try out Nomie, an open-source app that prides itself on taking privacy matters seriously – no accounts, no Google login, no user tracking.

Another great habit-building example comes from a famous comedian. Jerry Seinfield swears by his productivity secret: consistency. Set a recurring task you know is crucial for your growth and do it daily. Get a physical calendar and a marker, and mark every successful day. The gist is to keep going. To quote Jerry’s advice, “Don’t break the chain.”

Like compounding interest, daily finished tasks become daily habits.

6. Organization

You’re enthusiastic about your tasks, but when it comes to execution, you can’t cross a single task off even though you’ve worked hard the whole day. This could mean two things: the tasks were too vague (e.g., “eat healthier”) or too ambitious (e.g., “write a bestseller”). Try these tips to write better to-do lists:

• Turn every task into actionable subtasks. Even better, write them as tasks you could each complete in a sitting/timebox (1.5–2 hours).
• Implement the Eisenhower Matrix to create master lists and to-do lists in terms of importance and urgency.
• Try an “if-then” approach. Decide in advance when, where, and how you will tackle a task. Write them down: “If X happens, then I will Y” or “When X, then Y.” “If language class gets canceled, then I will call my language partner for a 30-minute study session at the library”. “When my 5 p.m. alarm goes off, I will stop everything and do ten squats outside”.
• Create a “Done” list. If you feel like you’re not doing enough and that the to-do list is too daunting, write things you managed to pull off these past few days. It could inspire you, and the memory of having succeeded before can you give you extra motivation.
• Use Kanban boards that are simple, visible, and accessible to keep track of your tasks. If you are unfamiliar with Kanban methodology, check out 12 Kanban Board Examples for Beginners and how to use them.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix at a glance

7. Time management

Time management is crucial to great productivity, which comes as no surprise since productivity is not measured in terms of money, but time. You can be productive but not make money, yet you cannot be productive by spending money alone unless it’s a financial goal. Yet if you invest any given time in an endeavor, depending on your skillset and efficiency, you will eventually create something of value.

But I’m digressing. If you want to learn more about this topic, read an in-depth analysis of time management: Time Management: Where Your Time Goes and How to Control It.

Also, you would be surprised to analyze people’s perception of time. They believe they’ve been working for hours to complete their tasks, but if they were to check their timer, it would be significantly less. What’s worse, their 5-minute water cooler break could as well substitute for their lunch break.

Time tracking is crucial for task management. Test a few productivity apps to boost productivity. If you’re a freelancer, or have your own small business or agency, opt for timekeeping software to ensure maximum productivity.

Time tracking in Paymo’s mobile app

8. Environment

Besides the basics of ergonomy, your work environment/workspace—digital or analog, remote or not—needs a certain degree of order. The excuse that a messy desk is a sign of genius should no longer be tolerated because the messiness can get out of hand. A study in neuroscience shows that our brain likes order and tidiness and that “constant visual reminders of disorganization drain our cognitive resources and reduce our ability to focus.”

Clutter makes workers feel stressed, anxious, or depressed. It creates a mental picture of your daunting tasks and projects. It’s a constant reminder that you’re behind on work or that you’re swamped. Research on stress and emotional exhaustion shows that clutter cripples workers from making decisions, thus keeping more material for all their ongoing tasks within easy reach, which results in even messier workspaces.

Clutter is usually caused not by poor organizational skills but by poor time management. What can you do? Roll up your sleeves and apply some of these tips:

• Just take 5 minutes per workspace a day to keep it reasonably tidy.
• If you are working remotely, maintain designated spaces for work and personal work.
• As for your desk clutter, keep only the files for your ongoing project. Put the rest neatly ordered in folders or boxes so you can grab them as soon as your project is finished. Read more paperwork sorting tips, according to Marie Kondo.
• “Only touch things once” Rule. Similar to the GTD Method, the idea is that you shouldn’t move files around thinking you’d deal with them later since that increases the clutter and you waste time and mental space. If you touch it (email or paper), decide to start working on it or make it more granular. Decide on smaller actionable steps for a later date.
• Olenski’s 2-minute Rule. If you can do a task in under 2 minutes, do it at once.
• As for your email clutter, try the (almost) Inbox Zero method.
  • First, reduce the flow of emails entering your inbox by massively unsubscribing to newsletters. I used to hoard newsletters of interest, telling myself I’d be reading them one day. That day hasn’t come, and it never will. You can use a third-party app to roll your newsletters, like Unroll or Clean Email.
  • Second, you can create rules to automatically filter your emails (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) and sort them into groups or trash them.
  • Third, process emails at a dedicated time in the day, usually during your energy dip when you are not engaged in deep work. Fourth, turn off email notifications. Fifth, use features such as “Snooze” and “Schedule” to keep your inbox close to zero.

9. Toolbox

A good productivity tip is to know your equipment – in our case, your computer and software. Ask for tech advice, take a crash course, watch tutorials, and read tips and hacks. Yes, not everyone is tech-savvy. But there is no excuse for not keeping up to date about the technology you’re using.

Technology has come a long way, so freshen up your computer skills. Try out Gmail’s smart features, Microsoft Office’s latest products, and your awesome project management software’s latest features. Automate your workflow and facilitate the way you manage projects and your business through third-party apps and integrations. These are practical tips on how to boost your team’s efficiency at least twofold:

• This article summarizes the top project management software and tools that are efficient, user-friendly, and affordable.
• If you are using Paymo, the Paymo Knowledge Base is a must if you’ve just started out using a project management tool.
• Take it up a notch by reading this article on how to get the most out of your project management software.
• Use a time tracker to improve your time estimates and identify non-essential tasks. Automation can handle up to 45% of repetitive work, so an automated time-tracker is even better for boosting productivity.

Automatic time tracking with Paymo Plus

A good productivity routine for beginners

Tim Ferriss, American entrepreneur, podcaster, and author of The 4-hour Workweek, shared his daily productivity routine when he was trying to fix—in his words—his “dysfunctional” regimen:

1. “Wake up at least 1 hour before you have to be at a computer screen. Email is the mind-killer.
2. Make a cup of tea (I like Pu’er) and sit down with a pen/pencil and paper.
3. Write down the 3-5 things — and not more — that are making you most anxious or uncomfortable. They’re often things that have been punted from one day’s to-do list to the next, to the next, to the next, and so on. Most important usually equal most uncomfortable, with some chance of rejection or conflict.
4. For each item, ask yourself: “If this were the only thing I accomplished today, would I be satisfied with my day?” “Will moving this forward make all the other to-do’s unimportant or easier to knock off later?”
5. Look only at the items you’ve answered “yes” to for at least one of these questions.
6. Block out at 2-3 hours to focus on ONE of them for today. Let the rest of the urgent but less important stuff slide. It will still be there tomorrow.
7. TO BE CLEAR: Block out at 2-3 HOURS to focus on ONE of them for today. This is ONE BLOCK OF TIME. Piecing together 10 minutes here and there to add up to 120 minutes does not work.
8. If you get distracted or start procrastinating, don’t freak out and spiral; just gently come back to your ONE to-do.”

Challenges and productivity issues

1. Procrastination

Solution: accountability.

The simplicity of this next tip to nip procrastination in the bud is mind-blowing: just start.

A lot has been said about procrastination. I’ve written a 7,700-word article on all my procrastination stages these past fifteen years, articulating some underlying reasons why people procrastinate.

Short version: procrastination generally occurs due to two causes – you’re either incredibly bored or too overwhelmed.

If you’re incredibly bored, you’ll want to focus on irrelevant, unimportant tasks to at least feel that you’re “working” when you are not. Your brain lulls you into a false sense of security that you’re at least doing something “productive” instead of lazing around – it’s called “structured procrastination.”

When you want to “procrastiwork” (“putting off the work you’re supposed to do by working on something else”), combine one menial task (e.g., doing paperwork) with something pleasurable (e.g., listening to your favorite podcast) to get that task done. Bundling highly pleasurable activities with distasteful ones is a strategy called “temptation bundling.”

If you’re overwhelmed by a task that you can’t even start, you’ll want to binge on dopamine-filled content, foods, or activities. You’ll make your fifth cup of tea while watching yet another cat compilation, thinking about ordering some delicious food because you’re stressed out.

• First, make your task as granular as possible.
• Second, make a realistic timeline. If I have a writing task due soon, I take a pen and paper and sketch out exactly how much I think I will write every hour during my work schedule. I’m charting out countless mini-milestones because this system somehow works for me.
• As a writer, I use pacemaker.net as my online accountability buddy and goal planner.

Of course, my awesome coworkers have the foresight to know when to nudge me here and there. Don’t be afraid to be accountable to your coworkers.

When you feel overwhelmed, observe the patterns of avoidance. Why are you constantly avoiding that dreaded task? Are you a perfectionist and know for a fact your project won’t come out flawless, so why even try? Are you afraid of failure? Do you feel like an impostor? These are emotional reactions that are detrimental to your performance. Ask for help, cooperate, forgive yourself, and just start.

If you’ve been rescheduling some tasks for months now and can’t find the time or the energy to work on them, see if the tasks are really worth it. Do those tasks align with your values or goals? Ask yourself, “Do I need to be doing this?”. If you’ve been dreading menial tasks, see if you can delegate or assign them to a subordinate, a personal assistant, or if you can teach someone to do them.

This hilarious video provides valuable insight into how the mind of a procrastinator works regarding instant gratification and urgency.

2. Multitasking

Solution: monotasking.

A productivity myth people believe is thinking that they are good at multitasking. Granted, some of you manage to juggle between tasks, but doing that day in and day out is tiring, leaving you exhausted and constantly feeling like you’re forgetting something. Deep work requires focus and depth. I wholeheartedly believe in Csikszentmihalyi’s flow state.

Never have I written something I was proud of in a state of hurry or the hustle and bustle of multitasking. It’s always been in solitude, in a quiet place (translation: noise-canceling earphones and music) during nighttime because, oddly, the dim light calms me, and my brain gets tunnel-vision for the task at hand. That’s when monotasking and the flow state fuse—and it’s marvelous.

To some, multitasking can be countered by eliminating distractions, by locking themselves in a room with nothing but their craft or task. Others might monotask by writing one task on their to-do list only or by eating their frog first. See what works for you.

3. Stress and burnout

Solution: proper rest.

Burnout can be physical or psychological and cannot be treated lightly. Seek professional help. This article, How to Recover From Burnout: 5 Steps to Get Back on Track, helps you identify burnout, giving you invaluable advice on how to get back on your feet. A dead giveaway of burnout is when you’re exhausted, yet your brain is fully active, and you can’t fall asleep. So, work from a place of rest and relaxation to be at peak performance.

If you feel stressed out or have too much on your plate, consider doing a commitment inventory. Apply Warren Buffett’s 25/5 Rule and cut down on your endeavors. Exhausted and burnout people don’t perform well, let alone be truly productive.

Don’t sacrifice your day of rest, leisure time, or downtime thinking others will thank you. “Karoshi,” i.e., death by overworking, is a sad reality—don’t be a statistic. Sleep properly, eat well, and lean on your friends and family.

Mental stamina, mental energy, willpower, resilience, motivation, and morale are emotional resources that get depleted throughout the day. Here are seven ways to boost morale while working remotely.

I also recommend this article on how to overcome mental fatigue. Take long breaks, exercise, allow your brain to unfocus, and do something fun.

Believe you can stop overthinking and ruminating.

Talk to a close friend or see a specialist.

Hang in there!

4. Little personal growth

Solution: flexibility.

A sloppy or uninterested worker may be characterized by little (or lack of) training, clear goals, and discipline. Set a goal you want to achieve, discipline yourself, and make serious strides towards it. Thanks to neuroplasticity, it’s never too late to start learning a skill or hone a craft. Find your “ikigai,” your reason for being. If it involves project management, here are some of our recommendations to read up:

• Becoming a Project Manager – A Complete Guide for 2024
• Best Project Management Training Resources For 2024
• Advance Your Career Through Professional Growth
• Best Project Management Courses You Can Take in 2024
• Working Remotely: A Complete Guide to Turn You Into a Pro

5. Distractions – and how to manage them

Solution: elimination/reduction.

Distraction is the result of overstimulation. So, you’ll have to allocate less time for information overload to be less distracted. Tips on how to reduce distractions brought by your frenemy, a.k.a. your smartphone:

• Turn off push notifications.
• Gamify focus. Use Forest to limit phone usage. Disclaimer: I swore by this app back in college when my phone was packed with time-consuming apps and games—I’m talking about you, Candy Crush. By the time I started working, I had cleaned out ⅔ of my phone’s apps, rendering Forest less useful.
• App minimalism. I used to keep both “just-in-case apps” that I rarely used and addictive apps. Decide to uninstall ⅔ of apps that make you distracted. Disable all the bloatware or gather them in a hidden folder. Use a Pomodoro app with a DND function, like Brain Focus, for your work and study sessions. Use standalone apps like Moment (iOS) or Offtime (Android, iOS) to limit screen time. Some phones have features of their own. When I owned a Sony Xperia, I used the Ultra Stamina Mode feature, which downsized to less than ten essential apps. Instagram allows you to set an in-app timer to block you out of the app when the time’s up.
• Disconnect from social media for longer stretches of time. I use Samsung’s Digital Wellbeing feature to block social media and communication apps—unless it’s a good ol’ text since hardly anyone sends them. If you can’t fully disconnect from social media, use the No Scroll Method. Tell yourself you’re not allowed to scroll or swipe. Be very intentional about your time on a certain social media app and be strict with yourself, e.g., “I will only send those quick DMs on Instagram and be done in 10 minutes”. Be ruthless!
• Limit phone usage before breakfast and bedtime. At night, I turn on Samsung’s Wind Down feature, similar to the Do Not Disturb feature, which makes my smartphone’s UI design less appealing. The screen turns grayscale and automatically switches to DND mode. I turn off the automatic DND after breakfast or at 10 a.m.
• If you fidget with the phone, even if most apps are blocked, leave it in another room. You’ll want to inform your loved ones or workmates you will be out of touch for a few hours a day. Better yet, combine this tip with time-blocking to engage in deep work.
• But if you want to take it to the next level, take a technology Sabbath every week. May your Sunday be truly a day of rest. Decide that you won’t turn on your laptop or device. It’s as if we excuse our laptop addiction because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Granted, back in pre-pandemic days, you could have made the most out of the outdoors and big social gatherings, but be creative and do something that doesn’t involve your device. Explore, and let your creativity skyrocket. If you can’t disengage your laptop on your rest day, charge it once. Imagine you forgot your charger and can only use the laptop until the battery runs out, which will give you a few hours at least.
• You can improve your focus muscles by employing mindfulness and prayer. A 10-minute session a day improves attention span, working memory, and fluid intelligence. Channel your creative juices before everything else. Most people start with menial tasks to warm up and build up to the most challenging task. Oftentimes that leaves them tired and mentally drained.

What to do when you feel like you haven’t done anything meaningful throughout the day:

My takeaway: decide whether today is “achievement day” or “gratitude & appreciation day.”

What productivity experts practice

Read what the productivity experts recommend on how to be productive at work for more top strategies on productivity. Here are some for starters:

1. James Clear’s 3-2-1 Thursday newsletter (honestly, it’s the only newsletter I read)
2. Thomas Frank on How to create your ultimate productivity system.
3. Tim Ferris on Batching to maximize productivity.
4. Brian Tracy outlines valuable tips on how to structure your day.
5. Robin Sharma explains his 90/90/1 Rule, a method for exponential productivity.
6. Chris Bailey’s Ted Talk on hyperfocus.
7. Nate Green’s Nuclear Mode restricts phone usage.
8. Matt D’Avella’s fun challenges/experiments on habits and productivity.

The dark side of “super-productivity”

Elon Musk’s idea of productivity

Here’s friendly advice to the hustlers, overachievers, go-getters, and super productivity gurus – pace yourselves. Have a healthy work-life balance. Research shows that an exaggerated focus on productivity indirectly harms quality performance and job satisfaction. Alexis Ohanian took a stand against “hustle porn,” this addiction to productivity that is detrimental in so many respects:

“This idea that unless you are suffering, grinding, working every hour of every day, you’re not working hard enough … this is one of the most toxic, dangerous things in tech right now […] It’s such b******t, such utter b******t. It has deleterious effects not just on your business but on your wellbeing.”

Elon Musk’s insane work schedule (timeboxing) is romanticized and touted as a dream work ethic. Adepts chant Gary Vaynerchuk’s hustle mantras without much thought. It’s a new form of religion for the aspiring and unadvised.

Resources on productivity

To start 2024 productively, here are

Seven essential reads:

• Atomic Habits, by James Clear
• Do the Work, by Steven Pressfield
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
• Tiny Habits, by BJ Fogg, PhD
• The Power of Productivity, by William W. Lewis
• The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy, by Chris Bailey

Six productivity blogs

• Steve Pavlina
• zenhabits
• LifeDev
• 43folders
• 99U
• Lifehack

Five productivity content creators

• Thomas Frank
• Gillian Perkins
• Paul Minor
• Asianefficiency
• Nathaniel Drew

Four productivity podcasts

• The Tim Ferriss Show, the #1 business/interview podcast on Apple
• Laura McClellan’s The Productive Woman, a podcast on productivity for busy women
• Matt D’Avella’s The Ground Up Show interviews creatives about their routines/life hacks.
• Erik Fisher’s Beyond the To-Do List on practical productivity strategies

Three productivity courses

• Slow Growth – Simple Habits
• Productivity Masterclass on Skillshare
• Work smarter not harder on Coursera

Two fresh articles on productivity

• Four Ways You’ll Need to Shift Your Office Design
• Work better

One project management and time-tracking software

• Paymo

Check out this ultimate list of resources if we’ve left you wanting more.

Take action now – productivity boosts confidence, reduces anxiety, and improves well-being.

Ad Astra

To sum up, productivity leads to growth – personally, professionally, academically, financially, creatively, artistically, and so on. Outstanding productivity leads to innovation, which generates a sense of achievement and usefulness. Plus, you also optimize your resources, mainly time and mental energy. Augment it by using work software for everything from college assignments to hybrid work.

Also, productivity boosts one’s confidence and self-esteem. It reduces burnout and work-related anxiety and improves well-being.

But the best benefit of all, it creates engagement with like-minded individuals and opens up the possibility of collaborating on even greater projects. 

Having said all this, I’ll repeat it – It is better to be productive for 10 minutes than to think for 10 hours about being productive.

If I could sum up this article in one nugget of wisdom, productivity is the synergy between mindset, setup, and action.

Have a vision, use your tools and environment, and take small, consistent steps toward your goals. Even though there is nothing new under the sun, I hope this guide has been helpful. Refer to it as often as you need. Access its resources and go through the basic concepts of outstanding productivity, strategies, frameworks, routines, and simple ways to be more productive, along with challenges, issues, and lastly, the downside of productivity. Achieving your goals takes time and effort… and the sky is not even the limit! I’ll leave you with an insight from Seneca’s Hercules:

“Non est ad astra mollis e terris via” [There is no easy way from earth to the stars]

First published on February 22, 2021.