4 Principles of Productivity

Productivity is a tricky balance. On the one hand, if you treat yourself like a slave, flagellating yourself, locking yourself into a quiet room and not allowing yourself to have any fun, ever, then you’re going to get burnt out and things will slowly come apart.

On the other hand, if you are too lax on yourself, if you give yourself free time whenever you want it, if you don’t hold yourself accountable to schedules or commitments, well, then you wouldn’t get anything done, would you?

In the past several years, I’ve written four books, hundreds of blog articles and newsletters, managed a staff of full-time employees, done speaking tours on three different continents, and somehow managed to maintain relationships with friends and family.

I don’t say that to brag. It’s just that I’ve been self-employed for my entire adult life, and I’ve been forced to find that Goldilocks balance of productivity-not too much, not too little.

Below are four principles I’ve discovered in optimizing my work:

Productivity Is Personal