On Quiet Productivity

January 2, 2024

writing, career-advice, creative-process

Quiet Productivity requires several things to be in place before it can succeed, and that includes:

• A clear mind - Knowing what needs to be done to achieve the predetermined results

• A defined path - Goals must be laid out, with a good idea of the items required to accomplish each goal

• Frictionless workflow - Too many people get hung up on perfect systems, often tinkering with computer-based apps to offer endless distractions including tweaks, alerts, misconfigurations, notifications, animations, sync issues, input glitches

• A known destination - Planned time, KPIs defined before start, measured path forward

• Endlessly pare back tools

• Create your flow

  • Know where your time goes

  • Define goals

  • Define KPIs

  • Create a TAO3

  • Define your Month/Week Big3

  • Plan your tasks around energy

  • Lay out your tools - Mise en place

• Rituals

  • Daily

  • Weekly

  • Quarterly

  • Yearly

• Read with pen and paper

  • Jot flow

  • Synthesize

  • Summarize the thought

  • File, link and cross-reference