The hottest Productivity Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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How we could return to the productivity growth of the 1990s

Noahpinion • 4705 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
💼 Business Productivity Economic Policy Investment Labor Market Monetary Policy
  1. Productivity growth is crucial for controlling inflation, maintaining a stable economy, and improving living standards.
  2. To boost productivity growth, a combination of macroeconomic factors like full employment, investment incentives, and stable supply-side conditions is essential.
  3. Three key factors that fostered productivity growth in the 1990s were full employment, high fixed investment, and stable supply with low inflation; replicating these conditions today would require strategic policy interventions.

Let's make 2024 the year of saying no to productivity culture

Changing The Channel • 8730 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Rest Productivity Culture Mental health Self-care
  1. Taking time to rest and relax is essential for our well-being, even if it goes against the pervasive productivity culture.
  2. Rest should not be tied to productivity but should be seen as a natural cycle to be honored.
  3. During challenging times, like January, it's okay to embrace the idea of taking a break and not succumb to the pressure of always being productive.

How Do You Make Email and Texts Steal Less Time?

Culture Study • 2654 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Communication Productivity Social media
  1. Emails, texts, and messaging apps can make us worse at maintaining deep friendships by offering false comforts and distractions that replace meaningful connections.
  2. Efficiency in emails and texts is important, but it's crucial not to let these tools take over our lives and prevent us from engaging in activities we truly value like hanging out with friends or pursuing hobbies.
  3. The goal is to communicate in more present and meaningful ways, where our attention isn't constantly divided. Finding a balance between digital communication and real-life interactions is key.

TBM 277: Bring Back Fun

The Beautiful Mess • 1236 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
💼 Business Work Culture Tech industry Company dynamics Productivity Teamwork
  1. Working with interesting people in a fun environment can make solving challenging problems exciting and rewarding.
  2. Many people in product making industries find joy in solving fun problems with diverse and engaging teams.
  3. The current tech landscape is becoming more serious and competitive, with a focus on efficiency, but there is a strong desire to bring back fun, creativity, and collaboration in workplaces.
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How To Overcome Distractions And Boost Your Opportunities

Day One • 439 implied HN points • 30 Mar 24
💼 Business Productivity Entrepreneurship Personal Branding Content creation Goal setting
  1. The mind gives up before the body, so don't let mental barriers dictate physical limits.
  2. Focus on a clear vision and roadmap to avoid distractions and make progress in your goals.
  3. Building a personal brand, monetizing it, and starting a company are three essential stages to follow in growing your opportunities.

The beautiful theory of TDD and the reality check of practice

Bite code! • 2568 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Development Software Testing Programming Pragmatism Productivity
  1. TDD can make your code more flexible, reliable, and less error-prone by focusing on testing upfront.
  2. TDD may not work well for everyone, as it requires experience, ability to hold complex models in mind, and sustained focus.
  3. Not all projects are suited for TDD, and it's important to assess the cost and benefit of testing based on project needs and constraints.

On 40 Hours: A Book For A Time Like This

Day One • 938 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
💼 Business Productivity Self-help Entrepreneurship Personal Finance Marketing
  1. Time is the most valuable asset as it cannot be created or bought back. Focus on utilizing your time effectively to reach your goals.
  2. Distractions such as social media, excess entertainment, and procrastination can hinder progress. Identify them and work towards eliminating them to achieve success.
  3. Prioritize learning from helpful resources and taking action. Choose a few key lessons to implement, banishing distractions until they become part of your daily routine.

I wish I started doing this on day 0 of my career as an engineer

High Growth Engineer • 1574 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
💼 Business Productivity Career development Software Engineering Time management Planning
  1. Planning is crucial to avoid feeling unproductive and getting pulled in different directions throughout the day.
  2. By planning your day, you focus on what's important and maintain control over your daily tasks.
  3. Even a simple daily plan of one main goal can significantly improve your productivity and time management.

How to Work Harder and Get Worse Results

Range Widely • 2771 implied HN points • 05 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Self-Improvement Productivity Research
  1. Individual differences in brain chemistry can influence how people respond to stressful situations and medications.
  2. Using 'smart drugs' like Ritalin and Adderall may make people try harder but perform worse on certain tasks.
  3. It's important to understand your own ideal level of arousal for peak performance and adjust your work environment accordingly.

What Can be Done in 59 Seconds: An Opportunity (and a Crisis)

One Useful Thing • 1013 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Productivity Ethics Artificial Intelligence
  1. AI tools like Copilot and GPTs are making AI use easier and more normal.
  2. Using AI for tasks can lead to a crisis in the workplace regarding the value of human effort and skills.
  3. Despite the crisis, there is an opportunity to delegate tasks to AI, allowing humans to focus on what they enjoy and explore new interests.

How To Get 40 Hours Daily

Day One • 1058 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Time management Sleep Productivity Self-Improvement Consulting
  1. Prioritize and manage your time effectively to make room for more tasks, even in a busy schedule.
  2. Focus on getting a good night's sleep for increased productivity and take advantage of Kairos moments for important actions.
  3. Implement time blocking by budgeting your time hourly, helping you stay organized and productive throughout the day.

what do you need to lose, to win?

Airplane Mode with Liz Plank • 884 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-care Mental health Productivity Personal Development Wellness Tips
  1. Sometimes, you need to lose something to eventually win something better.
  2. Our brains tend to focus on loss instead of success, so it's important to consciously celebrate our wins.
  3. Reflecting on past accomplishments and comparing them to current achievements can help you appreciate your progress and feel content.

TBM 272: The Biggest Opportunity (Part 2)

The Beautiful Mess • 552 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💼 Business Management Workplace dynamics Career development Company Culture Productivity
  1. Skilled pragmatists in companies can represent a major opportunity for improvement. They are reliable and capable but may not go above and beyond due to skepticism about the value of extra effort.
  2. When trying to improve behaviors in a team, it is crucial to be specific about the desired actions and outcomes. Vague terms like 'drive' or 'passion' can lead to misunderstandings.
  3. Listening to individuals in different categories can provide valuable insights for understanding motivations and barriers to certain behaviors in a team. Embracing diversity in perspectives is key to achieving more together.

Peak Office

Workforce Futurist by Andy Spence • 537 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
💼 Business Workforce Trends Real Estate Productivity
  1. Office utilization in the US is only at 21%, half the level before the pandemic, showing a significant shift towards remote and hybrid work.
  2. Despite worker demand for remote jobs, there is a notable shortage of such positions compared to on-site and hybrid roles, potentially leading to workforce dissatisfaction.
  3. The return-to-office mandates are largely driven by the need for US-based employers to optimize investments in commercial property and uphold control over employees, rather than being solely productivity-driven.

On Klein on Construction

Construction Physics • 10021 implied HN points • 18 Feb 23
🔬 Science Construction Regulations Productivity Costs Technology
  1. Construction industry productivity issues may be due to organized special interests influencing the process with complex regulations and stakeholder approvals.
  2. Regulations have increased costs in construction through additional input requirements and negotiation delays.
  3. Increased regulation in the construction industry might not be causing productivity stagnation more than in other sectors, but it is a significant factor to consider.

Make it simple

Venture Prose • 519 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
💼 Business Efficiency Productivity Simplicity Meetings
  1. Efficiency comes from making every minute more valuable, intentional, and concrete.
  2. Being intentional about how you spend time, both in quantity and quality, can make you more present and purposeful.
  3. Simplicity is key - from making a good first impression in 1 minute to keeping meetings concise and effective.

Measuring developer productivity? A response to McKinsey 2

Software Design: Tidy First? • 3380 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
💼 Business Productivity Team performance Investment decisions Incentives Management
  1. Measuring outcomes and impact alone can lead to gaming the system and disadvantages for the business
  2. Team performance is often more important than individual performance, as seen in sports like soccer
  3. Investing in engineering should be treated as research & development, making small bets and doubling down on promising ones

How a culture fail ruined Boeing

Make Work Better • 114 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
💼 Business Leadership Employment Corporate culture Productivity Economic Growth
  1. Boeing failed multiple safety tests, leading to accidents and loss of lives, due to a shift towards prioritizing stock price over quality
  2. A strong corporate culture requires aligning stated values with actual behaviors, empowering employees to make decisions based on those values
  3. Businesses that lose sight of their purpose and focus solely on chasing money risk facing significant organizational failures

Productivity

Genuine Impact - Charting Finance, Investing & Tech • 314 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
💼 Business Productivity US States
  1. Productivity levels differ across OECD countries based on factors like research and development, education, and infrastructure.
  2. In the US, productivity has improved over time due to advancements in technology and management practices.
  3. Washington State stands out as the most productive US state, attributed to being a technology hub and home to major innovative companies.

It takes 23 mins to recover after an interruption

Elevate • 616 implied HN points • 07 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity Mental health Workplace culture Time management Self-care
  1. It takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back on track after an interruption, impacting productivity significantly.
  2. Context switching involves more than just changing tasks; it's like asking your brain to switch languages, leading to cognitive drain.
  3. Strategies for managing context switching include understanding task importance, using tech tools wisely, and fostering a workspace culture that respects deep work.

Change what you do, to change where you go.

Elevate • 517 implied HN points • 16 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Habits Growth mindset Self-Improvement Mindfulness Productivity
  1. Our lives are influenced by patterns and routines, some chosen consciously and others unknowingly. Changing habits can propel us forward or hold us back.
  2. To change where we go, we must change what we do. Setting clear goals, creating action plans, and building support networks are essential for effective change.
  3. Embrace failures as learning opportunities, cultivate a growth mindset, and regularly review and adjust your actions to transform obstacles into stepping stones for growth.

When Will AI Take Your Job?

Uncharted Territories • 2908 implied HN points • 21 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Automation Employment Productivity Innovation
  1. Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly and may lead to job automation, especially in intellectual and unregulated fields.
  2. Industries that can withstand automation vary based on factors like demand saturation, regulations, and non-informational work components.
  3. New businesses are easier to start but may not create a large number of jobs, leading to a future with more billionaire founders and few employed individuals.