📉 When productivity does NOT matter
- John J D Munn
- Jan 9, 2024
- 2 min read
Mindlessly optimising your productivity without clarity is a formula for failure.
Being productive WITHOUT clarity looks like this:
Being the best possible employee at a job you know you hate.
Working a long 10 hour day and realizing you got nothing important done.
Crossing off a to-do list item without questioning if it was actually needed.
There is no greater waste than to do with excellence that which shouldn't be done at all. If your goals suck it doesn’t matter if you’re productive, you still won’t get anywhere.
I know that at the end of my life, I won’t get an award for being the best email checker or having had the most meetings booked in a day. For me, productivity is about one thing: getting the result I want.
First, I need to have real clarity about what I actually want. My favourite way to get clear on what I actually want is via a Past Year Review.
If you aren’t ready for a full review yet, a quick and easy way to start is by making a list of the things that you don’t want.
Write down:
things you hate doing,
that drain your energy,
and that make you unhappy.
You now have a guide for what NOT to do.
You can start your productivity journey by removing those things one at a time.
To find out what TO do, look at the opposite - the things that make you happy and the things that have led to proven positive results. Consider how you can do much more of those things. Create process-based goals to help you.
Nailing these basics will get you a long way.
I shared this in my Work Smart Wednesday newsletter. Want the full set of related insights? You can read them here: https://worksmartwednesday.substack.com/p/work-smart-wednesday-january-10-2024
👋 Want to work together?
When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
🔍 Clarity Call - we will discuss your situation and create a step-by-step action plan together so you know exactly what you need to do next for maximum impact
👓 StartSmart - Achieve a 6 figure income within 6 months, whether you only have an idea or you have already started your business
🧘 Overload to Optimal - reduce your workweek to 20 hours or less within 90 days while running your 6-8 figure business
