Although productivity might seem something that became important only recently, after the industrial revolution, it has been a topic of discussion ever since ancient eastern and western philosophy started.

Productivity has always been important

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” – Socrates
Don’t take on more tasks and responsibilities. You end up doing many things in a mediocre way. Instead, focus your time and energy on a few important things.

Busyness leads to unproductiveness

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle
No matter how hard you work today, never see it as a sacrifice. You will end up resenting yourself.

Be mindful about the work you do

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius.
One unproductive day can destroy your whole momentum. And that can set you back months.

Keep the momentum going

“Neither blame or praise yourself.” – Plutarch
When you blame yourself often, you end up hating yourself. And when you praise yourself too much, you end up loving yourself in an unhealthy way (a form of narcissism). If you overdo it, you sacrifice the quality of your work.

Celebrate the process, not the outcomes

“Better a little which is well done, than a great deal imperfectly.” – Plato
Set 3-4 important tasks that will directly contribute to what you want to achieve in life.

Make small progress every day

All your small actions combined, form your system for living. 
And that leads to the big outcomes in life: More happiness, fulfillment, wealth—all a result of your system.

Small things lead to big outcomes

“If you seek tranquility, do less. Or do what’s essential. Do less, better. Because most of what we do or say is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more tranquility..."

Improving productivity has been a pursuit of the modern human being from the start of civilization. Somehow, we believe that productivity is something that became important after the industrial revolution. We assume that, because we live busy lives, we need to optimize our time-especially in the 21st century. That's not true.

Productivity has always been important

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