Yesterday I found out that “Productivity is collectively an idea that has been fed to the common man by influencers and motivational speakers in order to fuel their own businesses”, and it made me wonder…
Am I part of the problem?
I’m definitely not an influencer or motivational speaker, but am I just peddling the same doo doo?
Nobody really needs books or Notion templates or productivity apps or second brains or systems or videos or thousands of dollars spent on courses or coaching or consulting or strategizing to get things done and enjoy their lives. Many people have managed to build incredible lives and careers with just good ol’ brains, lotsa hard work, and a simple pen and paper in their pockets. They didn’t care about Pomodoro, or coffee hacks, or $5000 tech setups for ultimate productivity yada yada yada.
Even if I really enjoy researching and writing about productivity, there’s only so many ways one person can flog a horse — and in my case, even fewer ways — since all I’m focused on are the fundamental principles of productivity that work, have always worked, and will continue to work (AKA the unsexy stuff that requires skill and intelligence to apply but also gives you an edge over competitors who only know how to follow step-by-step guides and “top 10 productivity hacks.”)
Gee, am I shooting myself in the foot here?
Is it even a productivity newsletter if I’m not breathlessly reviewing and tempting you to buy the latest productivity app that’ll definitely fix all your time management problems — never mind the last 17 I said the exact same thing about?
I don’t know… I think at this point, that’s a question for you, reading this email, to answer.
The way I see it, my mission here is to motivate you daily to be your most productive self, and to do it in the way that only YOU can define, since I’m not the one living your life for you…
Because yes, productivity is nothing but a scam… when it’s sold to you like snake oil.
That’s ultimately why I write about the natural, neuroscience-based, deeply personal kind of productivity… the one you can’t ever fully buy your way into even if you had all the money in the world. Because when all is said and done, no strategy or system or “secret” can save you from doing the work of showing up FOR YOUR LIFE.
Radically rebellious, I know.
But it’s either that or nothing at all. (For me, at least.)