Things I've learned about productivity

• 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.

• The gap between an idea in someone's head and how others understand it is a common failure point for things (projects, relationships).

• 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).

• 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).

• Routine and discipline matter for productivity. We all know this. It’s hard to maintain them.

• Systems are abandoned when the system becomes the job.

• Simplicity is a short-term antidote to overwhelm, but over time, simple things degrade into the chaos they're meant to prevent.

• People like simplicity, but really they want "Out of sight until relevant".

• Friction makes people more aware and deliberate in their planning. Automated and 'Smart' make them feel out of control and disconnected.