Achieve More by Doing Less
3 Rules of Slow Productivity
Work used to have limits. You showed up. You worked. You went home.
Not anymore.
Now, your manager can see every email. Every Slack message. Every green dot next to your name.
So what do we do? We perform. We stay online longer, reply faster, and fill our calendars.
It’s a trap. A productivity illusion.
We’re not working better. We’re just working more.
But does it make any sense?
The Productivity Lie
In factories, productivity was simple. You measured how many cars got built per hour.
But in software engineering? There’s no easy number to track.
So we made one up: busyness = productivity.
More emails. More meetings. More hours.
But here’s the catch:
None of this proves you're doing meaningful work.
It just proves you’re tired.
The Fix: Slow Productivity
Cal Newport has a better way: Work slower. Get more done. Avoid burnout.
It sounds crazy, but it works.
Here’s how:
1. Do Fewer Things (At Once)
This sounds wrong. Less work should mean less accomplished, right?
But the opposite is true.
Your brain can’t multitask. Every time you switch tasks, you leave behind “attention residue” - a mental mess from your last task.
So what happens?
Your work gets sloppier.
Your energy drains faster.
Your day feels chaotic.
The fix? Focus on one thing at a time.
Work moves faster.
Results get better.
Your brain feels lighter.
2. Work at a Natural Pace
Imagine a farmer.
Some days they plant. Some days they harvest. Some days they rest.
Nature works in seasons.
But modern programming?
We’re in harvest mode every single day.
50 weeks a year. 5 days a week. Full speed.
It’s unnatural. It’s unsustainable.
Slow Productivity says: Not every day should be max effort.
Some days, you sprint. Some days, you slow down. Some weeks, you push. Some weeks, you recover.
The result? You last longer. You do better work. You don’t burn out.
3. Obsess Over Quality
Most people think being “productive” means doing more.
But the best performers? They do less.
They pick one or two things that actually matter - then they get really good at them.
Cal Newport did this as a young researcher. He bought a $50 notebook - a big expense at the time.
But it wasn’t about the notebook.
It was a signal to his brain:
This work matters.
Take it seriously.
Do it well.
And it worked.
The lesson? If it’s worth doing, do it well.
The Big Shift
When you stop chasing busyness and start chasing results, everything changes:
You stop seeing emails and meetings as “work.”
You stop treating exhaustion as success.
You stop drowning in distractions.
Instead…
You finish meaningful work faster.
Your results improve.
You stop feeling like you’re drowning.
And here’s the twist:
When you slow down, the important things speed up.
Burnout isn’t a badge of honor. It’s proof that something is broken.
The fix?
Do less. Do it better. Do it at the right time.