Pseudo-productivity is killing you

The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake.
— Meister Eckhart

These past few weeks, I’ve felt a bit all over the place. I’ve struggled to stick with decisions from one day to the next, which has left me feeling overwhelmed.

I was doing a lot—but looking back, I realize I wasn’t making progress on what truly matters. My time was spent being busy and pseudo-productive.

Before we dive into Slow Productivity, let’s rewind a bit to see how productivity has shaped our modern world.

The Productivity Timeline

Industrial Revolution (~1760 - 1840)

Productivity is defined in terms of manufacturing output, where efficiency can be easily measured by the rate of physical goods produced per hour. This era emphasized quantifiable productivity focused on maximizing manual labor output.

Early 20th Century

The concept of productivity extends to other industries, yet remains rooted in measurable outputs. The productivity-focused workplace becomes structured around maximizing hourly output.

Rise of Knowledge Work (Mid-20th Century)

With the shift to knowledge work, especially post-World War II, productivity becomes harder to define, as knowledge work lacks a straightforward output measure. The lack of concrete metrics for intellectual work leads to the rise of busyness as a visible form of productivity.

Late 20th Century - Rise of Pseudo-Productivity

Without clear ways to measure knowledge work productivity, pseudo-productivity emerges. Knowledge workers and organizations begin using task completion and visible activity as proxies for productivity.

Tools such as email and later platforms like Slack encourage constant task-switching, exacerbating feelings of busyness but not necessarily meaningful productivity.

Present Day - The Age of Overload

The modern workplace sees unprecedented levels of overwhelm and burnout among knowledge workers. The pressure to appear productive often leads to overloaded schedules filled with meetings, emails, and fragmented tasks that reduce deep focus and meaningful output.

What’s Slow Productivity all about

Slow Productivity is a new concept coined by computer scientist and bestselling author Cal Newport in his latest book of the same name.

Let me confess something first: I haven’t finished reading the book yet. So, I’m sharing my thoughts from an incomplete perspective. But I’ve gotten the gist of it, and I’d love to share my take on the three key pillars of Slow Productivity.

1/ Do Fewer Things

Guess what? Maximizing tasks is a losing game. You can’t just do more every day forever.

What you should aim for instead is finding meaning in your work. Easier said than done, I know.

Meaning comes from focusing on tasks that align with your strengths, values, and long-term goals—not just chasing busyness or superficial metrics.

It’s about pursuing projects that resonate with both your personal and professional missions.

Finding meaning means doing fewer things, but doing them better, with intention, and with your heart.

2/ Obsess over quality

I bet you already heard ‘It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.’

But in today’s attention economy, running a marathon without getting sidetracked is no small feat. Shiny object syndrome everywhere.

Here’s the thing: constantly chasing novelty is the opposite of what you need. What you need is long-term focus. The kind that comes from true dedication.

This kind of pure dedication? That’s where an obsession with quality comes from.

Now, the bad news: it’s hard. You’ll be tempted, like Ulysses tied to his ship, resisting the Sirens’ call.

The good news? It’s a recipe for a fulfilling life.

So, choose your mission wisely, grab some rope, and tie yourself to the damn boat.

3/ Work at a Natural Pace

As humans, we love to compartmentalize everything. It makes life easier to manage, especially in organized systems. Capitalism has also played a big role in this, pushing us toward a metric-obsessed ideology.

But some things work better when left to unfold naturally.

Nature knows best. If something takes time, there’s a reason for it. Force it, and it’ll be immature, causing issues down the line.

Cal Newport advocates for small seasonality—periods of intense focus followed by rest, or even blocking out days free of meetings for deep work.

So listen to yourself and find your creative rhythm. The hard part is syncing your schedule with others and your work. But you’re resourceful—you’ll figure it out ✌️.

With topics like these, it’s often hard to take concrete steps because we’re limited by our environment—work policies, relationships, and so on.

It might seem impossible at first, or like “not for me,” but you’d be surprised what can happen when you just try!

Ask your boss, take that risk, make that change. It’s unlikely you’ll regret trying something new.

— James

Tools & Websites

• Arc is the web browser I’ve been using for the last 2 years. It takes a bit of time to get used to—as it looks like no other web browsers—but once you’re comfortable, there’s no going back.

• GeoSpy is an AI tool that geolocates your pictures. And it’s scary accurate.

• I’m currently learning to code all over again. I’ve been using CodeAcademy for a few weeks, and it’s a blast. It’s super well made, and let’s you an access a ton of great course, even on the free plan.

• Runway is a finance platform. To be honest, I’m not really interested in what they do. But man their website is a real experience. Buckle up, click, and scroll to the bottom.

James’ Library

…Aesthetic Corner…

Blanked Desktop Folder

There’s something quite addictive about desktop items. This aluminium folder—inspired by the 📁 emoji—is a sleek, functional piece for your desktop. Store your books, notebooks, papers the old fashion way.

Paper Cord Woven Ottoman

There’s furniture… and then there’s furniture that just feels right. I can already picture myself sinking into this beautiful chair, a good book in hand, feet propped up on the ottoman.

Sustainable Living

Tallowwood Cabin—by Fouché Architects—involved creating a modest secondary home in a densely vegetated property surrounded by native trees and habitat for koalas.

Balancing budget constraints and environmental concerns, the design aimed to blend seamlessly into the natural surroundings. The cabin’s exterior is both robust and subtle, while inside, cool concrete floors contrast with warm timber walls.

The minimalist layout includes a linear living area with built-in seating, a fireplace, and a deck offering expansive views. Two compact bedrooms and a bathroom feature large windows that maximize light and create a connection with the canopy beyond, enhancing the home’s simplicity and beauty.

Friends of James

• Beehiiv — the powerhouse behind all my newsletters, helping me craft, design, grow my audience, and monetize effortlessly.

• Notion — my go-to tool for the last 6+ years, where I store all my notes, manage tasks, and essentially run both my life and businesses.

• Webflow — the engine behind all my websites, letting me design, build, and launch seamlessly without code.

• Make — the tool that runs my business on autopilot, handling all recurring and time-consuming tasks

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