Optimization Trap
Optimization Trap
Why Your Productivity Hacks Are Holding You Back
Dear Unlearner,
I wrote one of the most viral productivity articles ever, reaching millions in a dozen languages. Now, I'm about to bite the hand that fed me. The $79 billion productivity software industry and viral productivity gurus don't want you to know this secret.
Your productivity app will be a distraction.
Your to-do list system will be procrastination in disguise.
Your time-blocking schedule will be another way to avoid real work.
Your note taking system is an excuse to not write.
Nobody becomes productive by reading about productivity.
Nobody finds the perfect system on the first try.
Nobody optimizes their way to success from day one.
We all fail at being productive in the beginning. But...
Action beats optimization every time.
Productivity hacks are just fancy excuses for procrastination.
It’s easier to read a hundred productivity articles on the internet than start working.
We always think the perfect system is the answer to great output. But the most productive people know a secret that most of us have forgotten.
We don't become more productive by planning. We keep doing.
Do successful people wait for the perfect productivity hack before starting their day? No, they just start.
That is why everything seemed possible when you were a child. There was no perfect system. You only saw what needed to be done and you did it.
I didn't become productive by finding the perfect app. My desk is still a mess, my notes are scattered, but I ship work every day. Because the worst case is I might be inefficient. If I don't try, I'll never get anything done.
I've shipped products while others were still researching the best project management tools. There were days when my system broke down and I still met deadlines. I stayed focused on output while everyone else chased the latest productivity trend.
The most organized people are usually not the most productive. Optimization is something they do occasionally but their main focus is doing things.
The truth is no matter how many productivity hacks you know.
They’re useless if you’re not actually working.
The best productivity hack is to start working and get busy.
Optimization matters when you've got things going. But improving 100% of 0 is still 0.
You'll learn very fast how to do things efficiently when you have a lot on your plate. You'll focus on what's important because you have to.
Most people give up when their system fails. A few people stick to doing the work, system or no system. It means nothing if you have the best productivity app but produce nothing. It's better to show up every day and ship.
We might be messy and it is fine. Because it's about output, not organization.
Stop obsessing over the perfect productivity system. Start doing the work.
What will you accomplish today?
More To Unlearn
The Lazy Person’s Guide to Outsmarting Overachievers
You Will Always Suck at What You Do, Until You Do This
I always feel bad because my bookmarks and drive folders are absolute messes and I can't keep a Todo list for more than a day. But you know what you're 100% right! I somehow consistently manage to get things done usually faster than most people with super organized task lists and folders.
The one productive hacks that absolutely works for me is to use my calendar as my to do list and just schedule time there for tasks.
A lot of articles give 100's of advice on productivity including mine "https://eberechris.substack.com/p/2-secrets-you-never-knew-about-productivity" but the truth is you just have to start doing something. Listening to 1 thousand pieces of advice can be confusing but focus on one system and work.