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Cal Newport: Lifestyle Design, Slow Productivity and Contrarian Writing
Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal
Productivity Anthropologically Explained
The core argument for productivity, especially for those who rely on their intellectual abilities for livelihood, is grounded in the philosophical and anthropological view of human existence. The essence of human value lies in the ability to utilize our brains to think, create, and produce things of value and meaning. This implies that true productivity involves not just being busy or organized but dedicating time and effort to creating impactful and meaningful work. By delving into social anthropological research and human history of work over 300,000 years, it is evident that human productivity has historically revolved around the application of hard-earned skills, variation in pace and intensity, and avoiding overload. Therefore, the optimal approach to productivity entails balancing workload, varying intensity, and dedicating time to applying learned skills effectively, which aligns with the fundamental expectations of work as per human evolution.
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