Productivity is overrated.
There, I said it.
For years, we’ve been sold the idea that being productive is the ultimate badge of honor. We obsess over apps, hacks, and color-coded calendars. We take pride in inbox zero and flawless to-do lists. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: none of it really matters.
I should know. For over two decades, I’ve chased productivity with German efficiency. Every tool, every method, every system—I tried it. I optimized my time, streamlined my workflows, and sharpened my focus. But after all that effort, I discovered something surprising: productivity is not the point.
The point is outcomes.
Answer this: would you rather spend your day checking off twenty tasks, or move the needle on the one that truly matters?
Most people get trapped in the former. We confuse motion with progress. We mistake “busy” for “effective.”
Updating spreadsheets. Catching up with colleagues. Responding to emails. It all feels important. And sometimes it is. But none of it matters if the outcome isn’t there. If the project isn’t moving forward. If the client isn’t served. If the idea never ships.
The obsession with productivity gives us a false sense of achievement. We feel like we’re winning because the calendar is full and the list is shrinking. But if all that effort doesn’t create meaningful results, what’s the point?
The uncomfortable truth is this:
outcomes are the only metric that counts.
That means asking different questions. Not “How can I be more productive?” but “What outcome am I driving toward?” Not “How much did I do today?” but “What changed because of what I did?”
It’s liberating once you accept this. You stop polishing the edges of tasks that don’t matter. You start focusing on the work that does. You stop being busy for the sake of being busy. You start being intentional.
Productivity is a trap.
Outcomes are the way out.
