Optimise for enjoyment
Hey friends, happy Sunday!
We get a lot wrong about productivity.
Our intentions are right but our execution is off.
Being productive is seen as an end goal. "If only I could spend my time more productively", "If I could just get more done in a week". It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you need to optimise every waking minute.
Working long hours, neglecting other areas of your life all in the name of being 'more productive'.
Productivity is portrayed as optimising yourself to work like a machine, checking off tasks, and getting things done.🥲
But being productive is a means to an end, not the end itself.
Because productivity means shit if you're heading in the wrong direction. Getting a lot done doesn't matter if you're miserable.
And the pursuit of productivity at all costs is a surefire way to make yourself miserable.
Instead, we should optimise for enjoyment. Rather than trying to get more done, focus on doing the things you enjoy and doing them well.
Then automate and outsource the rest to increase your personal leverage.
This Weeks Finds
I.
​Jeff Bezos 2020 Letter to Shareholders
(Article)
Each year Jeff Bezos writes a letter to Amazon shareholders reflecting on the previous 12 months. This was his last letter as CEO of the company and It's well worth a read.
II.
​Work like you're driving
(Article)
In Deep Work, Cal Newport talks about how our days are dictated by distractions and we squeeze work in between.
This article from Paul Jarvis takes a similar interesting angle on how to view our work.
He talks about limiting incoming distractions and ruthlessly single-tasking. I find posts like this are a great reminder to take stock of how I'm spending my work time and try to limit the amount of distractions that fill my day (I'm looking at you Twitter).
III.
​Cost of launching a startup
(Tweet)
I'm not sure I will ever get over how lucky we are to live in an age where you can build anything you want from a computer whilst being anywhere in the world.
This week I had calls with people in the US, Australia and Europe all while based in a tiny town of less than 1000 people in England.
This Weeks Idea
"Don’t think. Act. We can always revise and revisit once we’ve acted. But we can accomplish nothing until we act." - Steven Pressfield
End Note
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Have a great week!
- Stephen