Home Productivity and Time management The Productivity Project

The Productivity Project
Read in 16 min.
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Learn the key ideas of the book by Chris Bailey

The Productivity Project

How to balance all aspects of productivity

After graduating, Chris Bailey decided to embark on a great adventure: a year completely dedicated to productivity, during which he planned to read as much material as possible on the subject, interview famous gurus to find out how they manage their days, and use himself as a guinea pig to experiment with a large number of methods aimed at increasing productivity. The Productivity Project is the culmination of this intense year of study, research, and experimentation. To be more productive, you must first learn to manage your attention and energy well, rather than solely focusing on time management.

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The Productivity Project
Read in 16 min.
Listen in 20 min.
IDEA CHIAVE 1/11

Becoming more productive takes a lot of effort, so you need strong motivation

When it comes to productivity, the image of a very busy person springs to mind, who works hard, and is able to do more things in less time. It seems that the only factor that comes into play is time, and, in fact, there is always a lot of talk about time management.

For our author, productivity certainly means “doing things”, but it means doing them by working smarter, which can be achieved by learning to manage these three factors: time, attention, and energy.  

Learning to manage these three factors in a harmonious way leads to greater productivity; if you want to be more productive, you must make sure you develop them all together, because they are interconnected and influence one another.

You don't become more productive overnight; it is a difficult task that requires a lot of commitment, so the first step is to have a goal. Ask yourself: why do I want to become more productive?

If you are struggling to find an answer, ask yourself another question: if I were more productive, if I could carve out two more hours each day for myself, what would I do with that time. 

If the first step is motivation, the second step is to understand that not all activities are created equal. This may seem trivial, but it is an important thing to think about. There are tasks that are more important than others, and by leveraging them, we achieve more. It's no secret, but we need to spot them to avoid wasting time on activities that aren't relevant.

For example, planning out your week may be a priority over attending a useless meeting, just as investing in learning may be a much more targeted strategic choice than spending hours on social media for no reason.

The more time, energy, and attention you devote to activities that hold more value for you, the more things you will be able to accomplish. A great way to start is by identifying the three most important things to do right away in the morning, every day. Knowing that you have three tasks to complete will provide you with a guideline that will help keep you focused.

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The key ideas of "The Productivity Project"

01.
Becoming more productive takes a lot of effort, so you need strong motivation
02.
It’s human nature to procrastinate: simply put, it’s the gap between intention and action, a kind of battle that happens in the mind when you have to do things you don't enjoy
03.
We live in a knowledge economy, and it no longer makes much sense to talk about time management – it’s more a case of learning to manage energy and attention.
04.
Lighten your workload, and dedicate energy and focus to a few, important activities
05.
When you clear your mind and let it go, you can make new connections, feel more relaxed, and are more creative
06.
Train the attention muscle by bringing awareness and focus into the present
07.
Meditation and mindfulness make you more productive, because they teach you to work in a focused way
08.
Food, water, exercise, and sleep - small changes in the short term can bring huge long-term benefits
09.
If you want to be more productive, you need to be kind to yourself
10.
Quotes
11.
Take-home message
 
 
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