Let's talk about slow productivity.
Last spring JR and I drove up and across Vancouver Island, a huge, sparsely populated island off the coast of British Columbia, to spend a long weekend in a profoundly beautiful coastal village called Tofino. Between hikes in hold growth forests and log-strewn beaches, we listened to a book on the concept of slow productivity.
The idea that there was a "lost art to accomplishment without burnout" intrigued me, as I'd been grappling with the idea of balanced ambition.
Ambition and productivity are highly valued in our American culture. We lionize our 40 under 40, and Guinness Book record holders. Even in social impact and sustainability work there's a palpable sense of urgency driven by these values. If our impact isn't "at scale", is it enough to make a real difference? (I still think so.) Productivity and ambition are values many of us have stressfully internalized, ones I have been slowly unwinding for years.
In truth, the ambitious pursuit of productivity often masks a deeper fear of uncertainty. A mistaken belief that being really productive will bring us more peace. While that's certainly not true, I don't think that means we need to throw out these values completely out the window.
Rather, I want to seek ways to put balanced ambition and slow productivity into practice.
the essence of slow productivity
The essence of "slow productivity", according to Cal Anderson's book on the topic, is to (1) do less, (2) working at a natural pace, while (3) prioritizing quality.
As someone who loves to (1) try new things, (2) work deeply followed by full breaks, and can (2) spend too much time on quality, to the detriment of getting something just done - these guiding principles feel not wrong... but incomplete.
a new mindset
My mindset for slow productivity is slightly different. It is definitely a little less pithy (less like a life hack), but hopefully more complete. Let's call it balanced productivity.
1) Set realistic expectations & give myself grace. This is the hardest one for me. I've realized I need to readjust my mental marker for what a "productive" day looks like. Pre-pandemic, pre-kids, pre-running my own business - it all looked different. It's always evolving, too, and that's the only constant I can count on. Practices for giving myself grace: gratitude, walking in nature, mantras - are really important here.
2) Recognize what it takes for me to do deep, creative work separate from execution work.
They aren't the same. I need more space for deep, creative work. Checklists work for fast or straightforward tasks, but not for my deep or creative work. I've found I need other, "slow productivity" structures for it (the one I share below is one of them.)
3) Quality matters, but because I'm focused on process not just the outcome.
This is where my mindfulness and mind-body and meditation practices are yielding massive impact. They help build my muscle for powerful present-moment awareness, which shifts my attention to "what am I learning" and "what is good about this" rather than perfectionism.
putting it into practice
This one is an interesting twist on traditional time-blocking hack, and I've found it to be really effective balancing my deep work (writing, creating, strategy) with the principles of balanced productivity. I hope you can use it to get one step close to your version of it.
Balanced Productivity "Hack"
When to use it: You get a new project (or set a new goal) that you know is going to take some heads-down time to think, write, ideate, or create, and you want to avoid the burnout of productivity.
The challenge: Even with the best intentions, actually getting your thinking or writing or strategizing done is challenging without the right space and conditions.
Your calendar quickly fills up with meetings, last-minute urgent to-dos, and tempting distractions. From there, it's a quick path to overwhelm, stress, and burnout.
What needs to change: Creating space for (1) meaningful focus, (2) ideally in your best thinking-zones, (3) buffered with deep-work priming.
Note: There are three elements at play here. You can use any of them alone, or all three together for the biggest bang for your balanced productivity buck.
- Meaningful Focus: Use personal meeting work-blocks - at least 90-minutes for deeper work - to protect your calendar from unintentionally filling up with multiple ADHD-aggravating distractions. A few helpful tips: mark them unavailable, to discourage double-booking. Change the color so they pop out when you glance at your calendar. Name the specific task you will focus on, vs keeping them vague, so you reinforce your intention.
- Optimize your best thinking-zones: Not all times of day are created equal. If you're a morning person, make these blocks early. Consider when your clients, boss, or team is most likely to need to talk to you - and be intentional about blocking times outside of those hot zones. According to Ayurveda, there are ideal times of day for creative work (2-6 PM or AM) and focused work (10-2 PM or AM). The takeaway: be intentional with your best thinking-zones.
- Deep-work priming: Remember that your mind is like your body, and it works way better with a warmup before the workout. Getting out of your head, and into your body, is ironically one of the best ways to get your creative thinking juices warmed up before diving into your focus block. Try exercising or walking outside - even just for 15 minutes - as long as it's enough to clear your head - before diving into your deep work. You can also prime by setting clear intentions ahead of time - the night before works best for me. Either way, you're laying a foundation, with balance.
Stay playful
Remember, it's about finding YOUR set of practices, which takes experimentation, and a sense of humor sometimes. Play with it. And lean on me. Who knows, maybe you'll take one step closer to working with more balance.
Warmly,
Allie
"Life isn't a series of problems to be solved - it's a series of uncertainties to embrace." - Oliver Burkeman
