The hottest Productivity Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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My Strategies for Boosting Productivity in the Age of Distractions

Deus In Machina • 0 implied HN points • 02 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity Distractions Energy Management Goal setting Self-care
  1. Understand and work around your energy peaks and dips throughout the day to maximize productivity.
  2. Implement strategies to manage distractions, such as setting up phone holders and blocking access to tempting websites.
  3. Setting daily goals, being present in your tasks, and balancing work with enjoyable activities are crucial for maintaining focus and productivity.

The problem solving cell

subtract • 0 implied HN points • 06 Nov 23
🕹 Technology History Software Innovation Evolution Productivity
  1. In the 1950s, heads-up displays were designed for pilots to see flight data without looking away from the sky.
  2. VisiCalc introduced the first electronic spreadsheet, using familiar tools and concepts to solve problems.
  3. Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel then evolved spreadsheets further, adding features like charts and a point-and-click interface.

Vol. 4, No. 2 — Winging it

Valuabl • 0 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
💰 Finance Stocks Economics Investment Productivity
  1. Boeing's stock price is in a nosedive, and investors should be cautious about buying
  2. The British economy is struggling with low productivity due to credit contraction, lack of capital investment, and rising house prices
  3. Forecasts for Boeing stock's value are too optimistic, with more downside risk than upside potential
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My Biggest Strategy Recommendation. For Everyone. (That Will Never Happen)

The Entertainment Strategy Guy • 0 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
💼 Business Productivity Communication Workflow Deep Work
  1. Regularly checking emails and messages can disrupt deep work and productivity.
  2. Companies should consider transitioning to project planning based workflows to enhance productivity and reduce distractions.
  3. Moving away from email and instant messaging systems may lead to more meaningful and focused work, despite potential challenges in implementation.

I unplugged for a week (3 times actually!) — here’s how it went

Ednevsky Blog • 0 implied HN points • 30 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Self-care Well-being Mindfulness Productivity
  1. Taking breaks from technology can make you more productive and focused.
  2. Offline retreats can help weaken neural pathways, rebalance dopamine levels, and slow down brain waves for relaxation.
  3. Before going offline, list your current problems, immerse yourself in new experiences, journal your thoughts, and make changes in your life based on reflections.

4 simple hacks that help me stay more focused throughout the day

Ednevsky Blog • 0 implied HN points • 16 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity Mindfulness Distractions Time management Self-care
  1. Don't check your phone or laptop for 1-1.5 hours after waking up to prioritize morning routine and mental well-being
  2. Disable most notifications to eliminate distractions and only keep essential ones like banking or calls
  3. Set a 24-hour time limit on non-productivity apps to prevent mindless consumption and create boundaries for app usage

Some Thoughts on Operations

The Elbow • 0 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💼 Business Operations Management Productivity Creativity
  1. All work involves some degree of operations; it's about the 'how' in achieving tasks rather than the 'what'.
  2. A good operations mindset combines persistence like a golden retriever and boldness like Larry David.
  3. Operations work requires creativity, detail-oriented thinking, and an iterative approach to problem-solving.

Are standups dead in a fully-remote team?

Reflective Software Engineering • 0 implied HN points • 18 Jun 23
💼 Business Remote work Team Dynamics Productivity Communication Adaptability
  1. Standups in fully-remote teams can raise questions about their value and impact on productivity.
  2. Flexibility in remote work schedules can affect the effectiveness of traditional standup meetings.
  3. Team cohesion in remote settings can be promoted through alternative activities like gaming sessions, fostering unity and relationships.

Diet Youtube

The Dark Triad • 0 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Wellness Habits Social media Productivity
  1. The author successfully eliminated or reduced their use of various social media platforms, but struggled with limiting their YouTube usage.
  2. Many people, especially teens and adults, visit YouTube daily, indicating a high level of addiction to the platform.
  3. The author devised a step-by-step guide called 'Diet YouTube' to help reduce YouTube consumption, involving tactics like banning YouTube on phones, pruning subscriptions, and limiting usage during weekdays.

Book Review: “Hell Yeah or No: What's Worth Doing” by Derek Sivers 4/5

Poczwardowski Notes • 0 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
📚 Literature Thoughts Productivity Perspectives Recommendation
  1. Derek Sivers shares thoughts on updating identity, focusing on productivity, and what's worth doing, among other things.
  2. His writing is clear and precise, leading to new perspectives and actionable tasks for readers.
  3. The book is recommended for anyone seeking interesting food for thought and practical life applications.

needing structure

Stream of Consciousness • 0 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement Productivity Mental health Personal Growth Life Balance
  1. Structuring your time with a schedule can lead to a sense of progress and prevent inaction.
  2. Having a routine or structure, like a 9-to-5 job, can offer more than just a paycheck, including a sense of purpose and challenges.
  3. Too much freedom or choice can lead to indecision, while a schedule provides certainty that leads to action.

three articles I enjoyed this week

Stream of Consciousness • 0 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Meditation Productivity Personal Development
  1. Efficient meditation can be achieved by practicing broad awareness, rather than a forced focus on a single object.
  2. Waiting for optimal conditions may not always be the best strategy for starting projects; being proactive and taking action is often more beneficial.
  3. Developing high agency, or the ability to be resourceful and proactive, can make life more exciting and challenges more enjoyable.

productive wandering

Stream of Consciousness • 0 implied HN points • 29 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity Self-Improvement
  1. Wandering can be a powerful tool for creative problem-solving, often overlooked in adulthood
  2. Successful individuals like Jeff Bezos and James Dyson embrace 'lateral thinking' and not having all the answers
  3. Asking 'dumb' questions and exploring various answers without judgment can lead to innovative solutions and deeper understanding

Leading Effective Teams

Elevate • 0 implied HN points • 06 Dec 23
💼 Business Team Dynamics Productivity Leadership
  1. Psychological safety is crucial for an effective team, according to Google's Project Aristotle.
  2. Other important dynamics for effective teams include dependability, role clarity, meaningful work, and impact.
  3. The topic of leading effective teams will be covered in more detail in upcoming work.

The DOIT philosophy: How I'm avoiding Decision Fatigue and the Paralysis of Choice this year

Deus In Machina • 0 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Productivity Programming Languages Operating Systems
  1. The DOIT philosophy involves Overcoming, Iterating, and Triumphing to combat Decision Fatigue and the Paralysis of Choice. By simplifying goals and focusing on simplicity, project completion can be more effective.
  2. Decision Fatigue refers to deteriorating decision quality after prolonged decision-making sessions, leading to reduced self-control and avoidance of decisions.
  3. Paralysis of Choice occurs when faced with too many options, causing feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, and potential regret over chosen alternatives, leading to satisfaction issues.

Kanban Quickstart

Certo Modo • 0 implied HN points • 28 Jul 23
💼 Business Management Productivity Metrics Process Improvement Teamwork
  1. Kanban is an efficient process for organizing team work, especially for interrupt-driven teams like Site Reliability Engineering, Operations, IT, or Customer Support.
  2. Implementing Kanban provides visibility, measurability, and easy reprioritization of work, helping build credibility and trust with stakeholders.
  3. Key elements of effectively managing Kanban include tracking all work items, creating clear work state columns, limiting work-in-progress, and using metrics to drive continuous improvement.

Production Readiness Review

Certo Modo • 0 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Development Productivity Processes Reliability
  1. Product launches are crucial and can make or break a business, depending on how well they are received by customers.
  2. The Production Readiness Review (PRR) is a valuable process that ensures a team is fully prepared to offer a product to paying customers by evaluating operational responsibilities.
  3. The PRR process involves creating a standardized questionnaire, delegating questions to team members, presenting and discussing findings, providing feedback, and making a go/no-go decision based on known risks before launching the product.

Pre-Crastination

effectiviology • 0 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Time management Productivity Behavioral Psychology
  1. Precrastination involves rushing to do things too early, which can lead to worse decisions, performance, and efficiency.
  2. People precrastinate to free up mental resources, reduce worry, and increase immediate satisfaction.
  3. To avoid precrastinating, prioritize tasks, question the decision to start immediately, and find alternative activities to focus on if postponing the task.