Slow Productivity – The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
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Leader’s Edge: Leadership
Slow Productivity – The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
By: Cal Newport
Portfolio/Penguin Books, 2024
256 Pages
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Summary
Cal Newport is a graduate of Dartmouth College and MIT, where he received a PhD in Computer Science. He is a New York Times bestselling author of several books including Digital Minimalism, Deep Work, and the current volume.
This book provides a game plan for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload. In his estimation, our current definition of “productivity” in knowledge work is broken. He argues that this definition pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. The result is being overwhelmed by all we must do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between yielding to a soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. He asks, “Are these really our only choices?”
He identifies the habits of some of history’s most creative and impactful philosophers, scientists, and writers, analyzing their approach to producing valuable work with staying power. The mindsets of Galileo, Isaac Newton, Jane Austen, and several others are discussed to identify key principles of “slow productivity,” which he believes is a more sustainable alternative to what he describes as the aimless overwhelm that defines the current moment. He then organizes his argument around three fundamentals: Do Fewer Things. Work at a Natural Pace. Obsess over Quality. He also provides step-by-step advice for cultivating a slower, more humane pace.
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