Three limit strategies for slow productivity

The newest book written by Cal Newport is Slow Productivity. Here is a definition of slow productivity:

A philosophy for organizing knowledge work efforts in a sustainable and meaningful manner, based on the following three principles:

1. Do fewer things

2. Work at a natural pace

3. Obsess over quality

— Cal Newport

This is aimed at knowledge workers, meaning people whose job is to transform knowledge into artifacts “with market value through the application of cognitive effort” (Newport, 2024). If that describes you, then understanding the argument for slow productivity could be valuable. This way, you can see if it resonates with you and fits your current approach to work and life.

To implement the three principles of slow productivity, you need to set limits on your knowledge work. One fundamental promise of slow productivity is to produce work that has a lasting impact on you and your field of interest. This contrasts with busy work. Consequently, as proposed by Cal Newport, there are tradeoffs and changes you need to consider and implement to produce great, long-lasting work:

1. Limit your missions and the areas of work you commit to. Having one single mission is best; two or three maximum is okay too. This ensures that all your commitments align with the overarching mission. It may feel counterproductive at first, but it is necessary and highly productive in the long term.

A mission is “any ongoing goal or service that directs your professional life”.

— Cal Newport 

Examples of my missions: (1) craft elegant digital systems that make teams more productive, aligned, and satisfied; (2) create valuable digital products that help people increase self-efficacy; (3) produce content that helps people increase self-efficacy and independently build the life they envision through knowledge and tools.

2. Limit your projects. Reduce the number of projects you work on at any one time. Projects are related to your mission(s). Projects are “work-related initiatives that can’t be completed in one session” (Newport, 2024). To limit projects, visualize how much time you estimate they will take in your calendar. When starting a project, create blocks of time in your calendar to estimate how long it will take. When a new project opportunity arises, check your calendar to see if you can commit to it. If yes, create time blocks for the new project. If not, decline the project with a solid, rational basis (i.e., not enough time to do a good job). If you must start a new project, pause or cancel an active one.

Examples of my projects (mission numbers in parenthesis): (1) projects I do with my partners (clients); (2) creating digital products (ongoing); (3) content production on website, newsletter, and Youtube (ongoing); (3) Maintaining and updating websites & online presence (ongoing)

3. Limit your daily goals. Projects are made up of daily goals, which also need limits, according to Newport. Here is the recommendation: work on one project per day at most, for a few hours of deep, focused work. For the rest of the time, you can attend meetings, do admin tasks, and other more shallow work.