Productivity is not solely about visible busyness but about effective effort and useful outcomes. John McPhee's experience of lying on a picnic bench for five days, trying to make sense of his research, challenges the modern inclination that productive people need to be visibly busy. McPhee, a highly productive writer, exemplifies that busyness does not always equate to productivity. The focus should be on meaningful effort and valuable results rather than mere activity.
Do fewer things. Work at a natural pace. Obsess over quality. Those are Cal Newport's three strategies for achieving "Slow Productivity." He's on the show today to tell us more.