7 Truths That Will Change Your Approach To Productivity

He described productivity and creativity as a pendulum: too much productivity can make work feel formulaic and boring, while too much creativity can lead to being “too precious” and stuck for months on one output. He emphasized alternating between the two to avoid diminishing returns.

He reframed productivity as minimizing waste—not just in work output, but in time, attention, ideas, and potential. He also argued that “productive” can describe human and benevolent contexts (like a productive conversation or ecosystem), and that discomfort with the word can reveal limiting beliefs.

She argued that self-care isn’t always rest; sometimes it’s doing the work needed to respect your future self and goals (like meeting deadlines). She pushed back on the internet framing of wellbeing versus productivity as a strict tradeoff.

She defined “planned nothing” as deliberately scheduling rest to match your real boundaries (e.g., limiting evening commitments), and “fuck it nothing” as choosing rest when plans collide with being human (burnout, mental health, energy). She warned that unplanned avoidance can create guilt that ruins both rest and work.

He proposed “slow productivity” as a more human definition of productivity for knowledge work, built on three principles: do fewer things, work at a natural pace, and obsess over quality. He said these principles align with how humans are wired and can be both valuable and satisfying.