The fallacy of productivity tips
There are many blogs (examples here, and here) that offer advice on how to be more productive in life and work. Much of the advice they offer is good and can help, but here’s the problem: productivity still requires effort.
My hunch is that most people seeking advice in the area of productivity feel that they are unproductive, in which case the best remedy (but most painful) is to tell them that becoming more productive will require effort and concentration (i.e. work). And I would imagine that is exactly the opposite of what they want to hear (and what these tips espouse).
They position their tips as effortless and giving back time (i.e. 4 hour work week), but in actuality this is a gimmick because in order to be more productive a higher level of concentration is needed to constantly refine one’s process for getting work done. Essentially it requires a constant awareness of what, why and how one does what one does, which is neither easy nor effortless.
So there is no tip or trick that will make you more productive. Discipline, hard work and awareness can help, but that isn’t new advice. It’s the way it has always been.
