How to Escape Productivity Prison
25 Jul 2023
Escaping Productivity Prison
Darkness. Anxiety. A feeling of Entrapment. You switch on the light. You're in prison, productivity prison.
You organize your life with 8 different apps, sort your emails in 30 folders, and have 40 must-listen podcasts in your playlist.
All while maintaining a consistent workout routine, a balanced diet, and a daily meditation habit. It feels like an uphill battle.
As you've kept adding things to your life over the years, you find yourself in a prison of your own making.
You reach as high as you can to glimpse through the barred window. An oasis of calm awaits in the distance.
It's much nicer out there, how do I get there? How did I end up here in the first place?
It's not your fault, complicating things is human nature.
But unless you resist this overwhelming complexity, dissatisfaction will be your constant companion, and you will remain entrapped.
Time to start plotting your escape.
1. Explore the Blueprint - Know your Why
First, you must know why you ended up in prison, so you never end up there again.
Perhaps you've been over-consuming content from Youtube influencers and Twitter PhDs, trying to implement every tip that will make your life 10% better.
Or you've jam-packed your calendar by 10-minute increments like a robot, enchaining your creative spirit.
You get the gist. Like with so many other things in life, awareness is the first step.
Grab a notepad and map out your life's blueprint.
Good and bad habits
The systems you've built
The content you consume
Note down everything that comes to mind.
2. Observe the Guards - Energy-draining vs creating
Now that you have the blueprint, we need to understand the routines of the guards that keep you imprisoned.
Draw two columns next to your blueprint.
Place a checkmark in the second column if the activity, habit, or system creates energy.
Assign it to the third column if it drains your energy.
Don't overthink it and be honest with yourself. If it's supposed to boost your energy, but if you're not uncertain, categorize it as energy-draining.
You realise escaping is easier than you imagined. You're suffering more in your imagination than in reality. *Winks at Seneca
3. Prison Break - Time for Action
Now, you're a Michael-Scofield-level genius with the prison's blueprint and guards' routines at your fingertips.
It's time to break out, to decide, to cut, to simplify.
Here are the three final questions that will break you free:
Apply the 80-20 rule: Which 20% of my energy-draining activities contribute to 80% of my emprisonment? Which 20% of my energy-creating activities contribute to 80% of my escape?
What's the One Thing I can do to change/stop/do less of (insert energy vampire), such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary? Hat tip to Gary Keller
What does my ideal week look like? Start holistically and zoom in. Check out this video from Ali Abdaal for inspiration.
Stay tuned for more Productivity Prison Break content. Meanwhile, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Reply to this email or tweet at me @Sandrerooo.
Fun Fact of the Week
The Latin of the word 'decision' literally means 'to cut off'.
Quote of the Week
"If, when you get angry, you say ‘X thing made me angry’ you will get angry often.If you say ‘I made myself angry because of X thing’ you will get angry less often.Your emotional response is your fault and responsibility. If you realise that, you’ll have the power to control it."
From Happy Sexy Millionaire by Steven Bartlett
Have a great week!
Sandrero