Slow productivity by Cal Newport - illustrated book lessons

Hi friends. Today it is time for book 43 out of 100 great book lessons. It is a new book by Cal Newport who is deep advocate of focused work and high quality slow work.

Lets dive in this book.

This book is about two things.

What is real productivity and how to know this fact and apply this practice in case of knowledge workers?

We are frequently fooled by outward appearance of busyness as being productive but that is not true and can lead to burnout and perpetual stack of never ending tasks.

When humans were foragers they had cyclical labor with stretches of intense activity followed by absolute rest.

Then we became farmers and still we worked in seasons. Some were busy seasons with no rest followed by seasons of rest and festivals and feasts.

But industrial revolution created chaos when it was mixed with internet. Humans became continuously engaged and never stopping to see if they actually needed to work that hard.

This book has three big takeaways.

First lesson.

Do fewer things which can be completed with some time to spare and which matter to your life and your work results.

Jane Austen never hurried to finish her novels. Each task has some overhead which keeps accumulating with each extra task. Toiling at maximum capacity reduces creativity and original thinking.

Here are few things to do.

Break task into small parts like Wiles did to solve Ferment’s theorem which won him Fields medal.

Limit the number of projects and missions.

Limit daily goals.

Put recurring small tasks on autopilot like checking invoices or checking answer sheets.

Synchronize everyone before meeting.

Make others work more to reach out to you or at least come prepared with their part of work.

Second lesson is to work at your natural pace.

Do work at sustainable and varied pace with focus on the quality.

When we are stuck in overload of tasks it is called Estrangement. It is due to monotonous, exhausting, artificial work that leads to misery and burnout.

Here are few things to do.

Take longer time in your work. Double your timelines of completing tasks.

Reduce number of tasks and meetings. Keep no meeting Mondays.

Work in cycles of 6-8 weeks and then take break to recharge. Work like a poet with focus on quality.

Match space to your work depending on focus required.

Create rituals to put yourself into right mindset.

Third lesson is to obsess over quality even if that means missing opportunities in short term. This will boost your long term success.

Focus on few tasks.

Interact with people with similar interest.

Also interact with people with different fields of interest.

Invest in your tools like books, software and team.

Do not quit your job suddenly but instead work on your hustle in your leisure time.

So this book is an effort to take back your sanity from the rat race.

I like the author for the sensible thoughts he puts on page and says things that need bravery to write.

Leaving you with a quote from the book Easy book of thoughts. Book is available as paperback on all major book channels.