What is the essence of “slow” productivity
This term was coined by Cal Newport, author of “Stop Dreaming, Get Busy!” and “Digital Minimalism”.
Today’s busy pace of life is exhausting and makes us look for ways to balance work and personal life. We want a career that doesn’t turn into endless stress and doesn’t require us to be exhaustingly productive.
But simply shortening the working week won’t help with overwork. According to Newport, the problem is not how many hours we are asked to work, but how much work is assigned at any given time. And if the working day is reduced and the workload remains the same, we will be even more stressed, because we will have to work under shorter deadlines.
So Newport suggests a different approach – work a little slower and on fewer tasks at once, so that we can enjoy the process more. “Slow” productivity, therefore, allows for a rethinking of efficiency, where the quality of work done becomes more important than the quantity.
How “slow” productivity differs from regular productivity
In his book Think Slow… Decide Fast, psychologist Daniel Kahneman described two systems that determine how we think, and therefore what results we get. “System 1 is about quick, intuitive, emotional reactions. This is what we use when we make decisions based on feelings and our “inner voice.” “System 2” is the unhurried, deliberate, logical thinking required for strategic analysis.
When we are dealing with a long list of tasks and a strict deadline, we are tempted to engage “System 1”. We start completing tasks at top speed, often at the expense of quality and accuracy of work, other people and even our own happiness. This is “fast” productivity.
“Slow” productivity helps combat a common mistake based on the idea that if we maintain a perfectly high level of productivity, i.e. work fast enough or hard enough, we will have time for ourselves and the activities we enjoy. By doing the required amount of work, it’s as if we “deserve” free time.
Many people even turn tasks into a competition and regularly raise the bar, trying to break their own productivity records. But this is a direct path to burnout. Joy in life doesn’t have to be earned, it has to be experienced. Research proves that we have a much better chance of being successful if we enjoy the present moment.
The main goal of “slow” productivity is to keep our workload at an optimal level. We often think that if we start doing less, not only will we suffer, but also the company we work for will become less competitive. In fact, the more work we do, the more stressed employees become, which means that the quality of work starts to suffer and the amount of time available to do it decreases.
Newport believes that if we start to work more consistently and focus on a small number of things at a time, and stop taking on new commitments until we’ve dealt with the old ones, the speed of work will increase.
For managers, the most difficult part of applying “slow” productivity will be the distribution of tasks. Very often, when a boss gets an idea, he or she immediately calls the right employee or writes a letter to him or her, explains what needs to be done, and goes back to his or her own business. With “slow” productivity, you will have to come up with an effective system that will help prioritise a new task and pass it on to the employee only when he or she is free. Yes, it’s complicated and time-consuming, but light work is rarely truly effective.
How to apply “slow” productivity
Change your point of view
To begin with, you need to rethink your very attitude towards productivity. This can be done through questions such as:
What kind of atmosphere do I work best in?
What practices help me stay productive?
What kind of work do I do and does it require speed or thoughtfulness?
The answers will give you insight into exactly how you can use “slow” productivity in your work tasks.
