consultant – Nils Rebehn

Productivity Isn’t Complicated – We Like to Pretend It Is

The productivity industry has become absurd.

There are more apps, hacks, and methods than anyone could possibly try in a lifetime—and yet most of us still feel behind.

Maybe the problem isn’t that we’re unproductive.

Perhaps we’ve made productivity too complicated to be effective.

Productivity expert Ali Abdaal once said that 90% of all productivity advice can be distilled into three simple steps:

Figure out where you actually want to go.
Turn that goal into a measurable daily action.
Put it in your calendar and hold yourself accountable.

That’s it.

Three lines. No fancy app. No secret framework. Just clarity, execution, and consistency.

Is it too simple?

So why do so few people follow this? Because it’s too simple.

We love the illusion of progress more than progress itself. We love tinkering with systems, building dashboards, and switching tools. It makes us feel productive without having to face the hard truth: success is boring. It’s showing up, day after day, to do one small thing that moves you forward.

Writing 500 words a day.
Reaching out to one potential client.
Going to the gym for 30 minutes.

Small, measurable, calendar-bound commitments compound over time.

But first: clarity

But there’s a catch: you can’t fake clarity. Step one—figure out where you actually want to go—is where most people get stuck. They don’t know what they want badly enough to plan for it. So they fill their days with busyness, mistaking motion for progress.

If you’re feeling lost, start there, not with a new productivity system, but with direction. Decide what matters enough to earn a place on your calendar. Because once you know where you’re headed, the rest is logistics.

This might sound almost too simple to be profound. But that’s the point. The real challenge isn’t finding a new method—it’s committing to one that’s so clear there’s nowhere left to hide.

You don’t need another app. You need focus.

You don’t need another framework. You need courage to do the same thing every day.

And you don’t need to read another book about productivity. You need to decide where you want to go—and start walking.

Because productivity isn’t about optimisation.

It’s about direction, discipline, and doing the damn work.

Stop Chasing Productivity—Start Chasing Outcomes

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.

The Hidden Power You’re Ignoring: Storytelling

Facts don’t win people over. Stories do.

That may sting a little—especially if you’ve been trained to rely on bullet points, credentials, or polished pitches. But here’s the truth: people don’t remember data, they remember narratives.

Think about it.

In a job interview, the candidate who lists skills sounds like everyone else. The one who tells a story—of a crisis solved, a lesson learned, a win earned—that’s the one who lingers in the room long after they’ve left.

On a date, rattling off hobbies is forgettable. Sharing the story of the time you got lost in a foreign city and somehow found the best meal of your life? That’s connection.

With a future client, talking about features and numbers rarely seals the deal. But telling the story of how you helped someone just like them overcome the exact challenge they’re facing? That builds trust.

Here’s the key: you don’t need to invent anything. In fact, you shouldn’t. The power comes from choosing a true story that matches the moment.

The right story at the right time gives you control—not in a manipulative way, but in a strategic one. You’re guiding how people see you. You’re shaping the narrative they’ll walk away with.

This is the part most people miss: storytelling isn’t decoration. It’s not fluff. It’s leverage. When you master it, you’re no longer at the mercy of someone else’s assumptions. You decide what sticks.

So stop obsessing over perfect résumés, rehearsed small talk, or endless slide decks. Start asking:

What story do I need to tell right now to make this moment matter?

Because if you’re not telling the story, someone else is—and you might not like the version they write.

Life Is More Than Your To-Do List

Your task list is full.

But your day still feels empty.

Why?

Because you’re mistaking productivity for purpose.

We’ve been sold the lie that if we can just check one more box, hit inbox zero, or squeeze a little more output from the same 24 hours…

Then we’ll feel accomplished. Fulfilled. Happy.

But here’s the truth

📌 Your to-do list is a tool.

Not your identity.

Not your value.

You’re not here to be a machine.

You’re here to build a life.

That means sometimes you’ll do things that don’t have checkboxes.

Like taking a long walk.
Calling your mom.
Sitting in silence.
Staring at the sky.

None of that shows up in your productivity app.

But it shows up in your life.

And if you don’t make space for it?

You risk becoming a high-performing ghost.

Busy.
Efficient.
Successful—on paper.

But quietly burned out.

Disconnected.

Running on autopilot.

The freelancers, consultants, and creators who thrive long-term?

They build systems, yes.

They get things done, yes.

But they also protect white space.

Because that’s where clarity lives.

So don’t just ask: “What do I have to do today?”

Instead, ask yourself:

“What would make today feel worth it?”
“What’s one thing I can do today that makes me feel more alive?”

Then do that.

Your to-do list is a servant.

Not a ruler.

Life is more than your to-do list.

Don’t just chase done.

Build a life that feels good to live.

Boredom Isn’t the Problem. Avoiding It Is.

We’ve declared war on boredom. And we’re losing.

Not because boredom is dangerous. But because it’s inconvenient.

We can’t stand silence. Stillness. Waiting 15 seconds at a red light without stimulation.

So we grab our phones. Scroll. Tap. Escape.

Not from the world—but from ourselves.

Here’s what no one tells you:

Boredom isn’t a bug. It’s the gateway to meaning.

That ache you feel when you’re not distracted? That’s your mind knocking.

Asking real questions. Big ones.

“What am I doing with my life?”

“Does any of this actually matter?”

“Who do I want to become?”

Uncomfortable? Yes. Important? Even more.

And we’re skipping all of it.

Because we’ve replaced reflection with reaction.

We’ve trained our brains to avoid meaning by never being still long enough to discover it.

But there’s a way out.

Leave your phone when you work out.
Eat without screens.
Commute in silence.
Don’t sleep with your phone next to you.

Your brain will protest. Dopamine will scream. But eventually, it quiets.

And in that quiet, something returns: Curiosity. Clarity. Coherence.

We think boredom is bad. But it’s just a doorway we’re too afraid to open.

If you want a meaningful life, you have to stop filling every crack with noise.

So here’s the real challenge: Don’t find something to do. Find space to think.

Let boredom in. Let meaning follow.

Your best ideas are waiting on the other side of silence.

Tag: consultant