If you are anything like me:
You sometimes get caught up in the latest productivity magic tools.
Hoping to find that one app… that will make everything different.
The problem is:
Productivity is not a tool problem, but rather an emotional problem .
Sure, a to-do list app might help.
But does it matter if it is the latest AI-powered 2000 ChatGPT 4.0 Mega Super Pro ?
I don’t think so.
Here are the 3 underlying principles that really make a difference in your productivity and results in your life:
1. Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome Cycle
We assume that we lack productivity because we don’t have the latest productivity app, calendar, or knowledge-base note system.
Here’s the deal:
Novelty is good at distracting us, so we don’t have to face the reality in front of us, which is just doing the thing .
The reality is that if you have a calendar and a to-do list app, you are good to go — that’s 99% of the results you get.
It feels good to go after the new shiny apps — they give us a dip of dopamine — they create the illusion that we are making progress.
But at the end of the day, they don’t contribute anything to our progress and productivity.
If you ask someone who is a high-achiever how they manage to get so much done, you will never hear any tool in their response.
You will hear about discipline, how you respond to hardness and friction, focus, consistency, prioritization, and patience.
Productivity is much more about emotions and mindset , than tools and systems.
Big results come from great patience to say no to every distraction that comes your way (a new project, a new app, etc), so you can get the compound results of your focused work.
"Your results are the product of either personal focus or personal distractions. The choice is yours."
2. Overcome procrastination and do hard things
No productivity app makes you less likely to procrastinate watching Netflix rather than writing your essay.
How you respond to the friction and pain of sitting and getting to write on the blank page is the key to being productive and getting things done.
Some people will call it discipline.
You can call it wherever you want.
It is being willing to let go of short-term pleasure-seeking activities , to work on long-term meaningful goals that will make you happier and healthier over the long term, that are not necessarily fun to do in the moment.
From here, to beat procrastination, you can go in two directions:
1. Make it more fun
We don’t need motivation to watch Netflix or play Video Games.
You never hear someone saying:
“I am struggling to be motivated to go watch my favorite show…”
Why is that?
Because those activities are intrinsically fun.
And here underlines one great insight.
If we can make whatever we are doing more fun and more energizing — we become more productive and also enjoy the journey more .
Sometimes the task in front of you is intrinsically painful and hard, as most meaningful tasks are.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t make it just a little bit more fun.
Add your favorite music in the background, give yourself a treat after you do it, try to find a way to add creativity, do it with friends, go to a new coffee shop, etc.
Here’s the question Ali Abdaal, productivity expert and author asks himself every day:
“What would this look like if it were fun?”
2. Build Discipline
You might have heard it before:
Discipline eats Motivation for breakfast.
Discipline is the consistent commitment to a goal that matters to you, independent of your motivation levels.
It’s feeling the resistance and friction in doing a task, and instead of relying on motivation (if you feel like doing it), just doing it.
Here’s the good news:
Discipline is a muscle.
So it means that is something that can be built and improved.
Every time you choose to work on what you said you were going to do even if you don’t feel like it.
Both your confidence and discipline build up.
And that’s your greatest asset when it comes to productivity.
“We don't have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest.”
Bringing it home
Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome Cycle: productivity is more about emotions than tools — progress comes from focus, the boring work, and patience.
Make it more fun: if we can make whatever we are doing more fun and more energizing — we become more productive and also enjoy the journey more.
Build Discipline: discipline is a muscle — you improve it every time you choose to do what you said you were going to do, even if you don’t feel like doing it.
I hope you got something valuable in this edition of Curiosity Fuel, and thank you for reading, it means the world.
It’s always an honor to be in your inbox, until next Sunday. 👋
— Idris Moura
