Quiet quitting, lying flat, and so many other workplace trends we have heard of in the past few years. But now, there are advocates for another possible trend: ‘slow productivity.’
Cal Newport, who encapsulated the concept in his new book aptly titled Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, argues that going slow on work is something that helped greats like scientist Marie Curie. The author is famous for his past works like A World Without Email and Deep Work: Rules for Success in a Distracted World.
So, what is slow productivity?
Don’t get misled by the term ‘slow productivity’ here. It is not about being lazy, but means staying away from the gadgets and processes that are distracting us from actually pursuing something meaningful over a longer term that could result in seminal works in various fields.
Newport, a computer scientist by profession, describes slow productivity broadly as doing fewer things, working at a natural pace and obsessing over quality over quantity.
He notes that Marie Curie took time away in the French countryside to rest and reflect, before continuing with her decades of research.
In today’s world, however, we end up doing a number of things that do not really add up to our productivity, attending meetings in person or over video calls like Teams, Zoom, or Google Hangout; writing or answering emails and instant messages on WhatsApp, and doomscrolling social media sites like Instagram or Facebook, or sharing updates or opinions on X or Twitter.
These essentially prevent deep work, another concept advocated by Newport in his previous book.
This, what Newport calls ‘performative busyness’, especially affects knowledge workers, people who think and resolve problems, rather than making a product or directly serving others.
Newport quoted a researcher in his book who described productivity as “working all the time,” said a write-up on his book in Nature magazine.
Avoid pseudo-activity or pseudo-productivity
According to Newport, the work-from-home trend introduced during the Covid pandemic also came with ‘pseudo-activity’ or pseudo-productivity, which basically involves finishing “lengthy to-do lists rather than focusing on tasks that require deeper thinking and reflection.”
The ubiquitous presence of computers, laptops and smartphones led to the “toll of exhaustion and burnout”, according to Newport.
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While citing examples from various walks of life such as the poet Maya Angelou and scientist Richard Feynman, Newport advocates that peace of mind is the most important for creative work.
His main tips for slow productivity include limiting daily goals while creating long-term plans for major goals, taking your time, and avoiding meetings on Mondays.
(With inputs from agencies)