Things I've learned about productivity
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Thoughts are atomic and thinking is structured and non-linear. Most tools give you a flat, linear container (text, audio, video), which reflects none of this.
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The gap between an idea in someone's head and how others understand it is a common failure point for things (projects, relationships).
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Zooming from macro to micro (and vice-versa) brings clarity and focus. You need both. (Seeing the woods for the trees, and the trees from the woods).
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The Control Paradox: The more you try to feel in control (routines, processes, doing things yourself) the more out of control you get (overwhelmed, forgetting to do things, burning out).
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Routine and discipline matter for productivity. We all know this. It’s hard to maintain them.
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Systems are abandoned when the system becomes the job.
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Simplicity is a short-term antidote to overwhelm, but over time, simple things degrade into the chaos they're meant to prevent.
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People like simplicity, but really they want "Out of sight until relevant".
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Friction makes people more aware and deliberate in their planning. Automated and 'Smart' make them feel out of control and disconnected.