Slow Productivity

22 Apr, 2026

Do fewer things.
Work at a natural pace.
Obsess over quality.

Why is it so hard to act like this, while I just know I would benefit greatly from it?

Cal Newport sets out his Slow Productivity philosophy in the book of the same name.

I read it a little while back and I tried to keep the three line motto on top of my mind. It resonates with me, but I often act so differently.

Do fewer things.

My todo lists keep growing, both at work and at home. I’m quick to ideate new initiatives, but often I fall short on finishing them, sometimes even starting them at all. Ultimately, after a way too long time, this leads to a mental burden and I end up trashing abandoned initiatives. All fine in the end: these tasks or ideas just turned out to be not that important, but I feel I could have given more attention to just a few things that mattered. That focus would have made me feel better.

In its simplest form: I often start reading a new book before I’ve finished reading the first one. This way I often end up reading multiple books at the same time. When I then force myself to carry around the same book for a longer stretch of time, I feel better about it because I read it more deeply and I finish it quicker.

Work at a natural pace.

What’s this natural pace? It’s probably not the AI madness that developers find themselves in when spinning up their 10th agent. Although I actually find it quite satisfying to work like that, I’m unsure what it will bring me in the end. Yet even with AI parked aside it’s hard not to constantly look busy as a knowledge worker.

Newport argues for seasonal variations, where not every period should feel equally intense. Aim for long-term sustainability, allowing for slower or lighter periods. And avoid pseudo-productivity, where you keep up a busy looking tempo that actually doesn’t make you deliver any better work.

In short: stay away from the ‘always-on’ culture and work in a rhythm, allowing ebb and flow.

That’s easier said than done because of constant pulls and pushes. Work on saying ‘no’ more and keep your list of active projects minimal, minimizing context-switches.

Didn’t I start this post by writing that I’m quick to start new things? It seems that is the thing that prevents me from working at a natural and satisfying pace.

Obsess over quality

I know that if I go deep, if I care about the thing I’m doing, if I get into a flow, I’ll produce my best work. Being there, in that flow obsessing over quality, is the perfect protection against other work.

It’s nice that the motto of “Slow Productivity” can be read in two directions:

From doing fewer things, you can actually work at a natural pace and obsess over quality.

When obsessing over quality, you can only work at a natural pace and thus do fewer things.

It’s that simple hard.