The Ancient Secret to Getting More Done (by Doing Less) Most productivity advice is backwards. While everyone's grinding 100-hour weeks and optimizing their morning routines, the people who actually change the world are doing something completely different. Napoleon didn't read his mail for days. Einstein figured out relativity while daydreaming on a streetcar. The ancient Chinese had a word for this: wu wei, or "non-action." Not laziness, but acting without forcing. This isn't feel-good philosophy. It's practical wisdom that's been tested for thousands of years. Water doesn't struggle against rock, it flows around it. Chess masters win by restraining, not attacking. The Stoics built empires by focusing on what they could control and ignoring everything else. Modern hustle culture has it exactly wrong. More effort doesn't equal more output. More meetings don't create more value. More optimization doesn't lead to better results. The real secret: Stop trying so hard. Learn when not to act. Trust the process. Let problems solve themselves. Work with the natural rhythm instead of against it. This video breaks down why our ancestors were smarter about work than we are, and how you can apply their methods to actually get things done. 00:00 Introduction: The True Nature of Productivity 00:39 The Concept of Wu Wei: Effortless Action 01:28 Western Philosophy: The Golden Mean 02:42 Modern Productivity Culture: The Hustle Fallacy 03:49 The Power of Restraint: Lessons from Strategy Games 05:04 Conclusion: Embracing Intelligent Restraint

Tired of a messy Outlook inbox? Try the 3-folder system I used at Microsoft to stay organized and hit inbox zero.👉 Action Items👉 Waiting On👉 Read LaterSim...

This productivity hack changed my life #sketch #comedy #satire #scifi

There are people and organizations that are working overtime to redirect and manipulate your attention. The question is: Are they more aware and careful in how you spend your attention than you are…

There are all kinds of productivity tools out there promising to help you make the most of your day. Some people swear by timeboxing: the method of reserving time on your calendar each day for each task you want to get done, and then truly focusing on that one thing at a time. The return on merging your to-do list with your calendar like this, says Marc Zao-Sanders, is higher productivity, better collaboration, and less distraction and anxiety. He explains how try to the method yourself and the how your team and organization benefit from it, not just you. Zao-Sanders is author of the book “Timeboxing: The Power of Doing One Thing at a Time.”

What if working nonstop is actually holding you back? Simon shares a simple yet powerful lesson on the importance of rest and renewal. Through the story of two lumberjacks and cutting-edge research, he explores the hidden dangers of neglecting rest and the impact it has on your performance. Learn why true disconnection during vacations is vital and how the modern work environment is reshaping the way we think about productivity. For more, visit https://getinspired.cc/4e9gwHF. Video from Mercedes-Benz Club, March 2024, in conversation with Arthur Blank + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/ Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek Simon’s books: The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/ Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-your-why/ Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/ Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together-is-better/ + + + #SimonSinek

Are you struggling to finish tasks or finding that they take longer than expected? Learn why having a clear definition of what “done” looks like can save you time, boost your focus, and help you get things off your to-do list faster. We share practical tips on how to set specific goals, time constraints, and focus on the minimum effective effort to get things done without overcomplicating them. Tune in for this quick, actionable episode and discover how a simple shift in your approach can lead to big productivity wins! This episode is brought to you by 25X Productivity Coaching – double your personal productivity, be happier at work, and have an extra 5 hours a week of free time.

The GTD method has been around for years and is helpful for streamlining your to-do list. If you feel overwhelmed by how much you have to do, this will help you start doing it.

Christy Wright, author of Take Back Your Time, shows us how to practically decide what’s most important.

Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Hooked and the new book Indistractable, shows us how to align our calendars with what’s most important.

Your Ideal Week is what your perfect week would look like if you could control 100% of what happens. Watch this video for best practices when using the Ideal...

The human drive to invent new things has led to pathbreaking achievements in medicine, science and society. But our desire for innovation can keep us from seeing one of the most powerful paths to progress: subtraction. Engineer Leidy Klotz says sometimes the best way forward involves removing, streamlining and simplifying things.

🤔 How calm is YOUR business? Take our free quiz to get your Calm Business Score: https://wanderingaimfully.com/score A calm business is one that’s predictab...

The internet is filled with puppy quandaries. You can get a puppy at a pet mill/pet shop in about an hour (please don’t). But over the course of your lifetime with that dog, you’ll need…

As a part of our “Mind the Gap” series, Kelly and LinkedIn’s Meg Garlinghouse discuss the meaning of work and what defines a job, a career or a calling. Kelly and writer Nir Eyal delve into the distractions faced by different generations and how being indistractable might just be the new superpower. Please subscribe, rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! We read and appreciate every review. You can follow the conversation with Kelly on Instagram @kellycorrigan and read the essays from this episode on Medium.

I've been thinking a lot lately about my work. One of the advantages of journaling is that it gives you a way to check in with yourself and find out what's on your mind. Sometimes that feedback isn't all positive. A few months ago, I went back and read several journal entries. What surprised me most

Write a letter to the future and read the public (but anonymous) letters from others

'Unfortunately, the notion of marriage which prevails ... at the present time ... regards the institution as simply a convenient arrangement or formal contract ... This disregard of the sanctity of marriage and contempt for its restrictions is one of the most alarming tendencies of the present age.' --John Harvey Kellogg, Ladies' guide in health and disease (1883)

A Social Transition Last week, I wrote a blog post emphasizing the distinction between the social internet and social media. The former describes the internet's

RT @RobertTalbert: "Getting Organized: Student Edition" #productivity #feedly

I keep thinking about this one from Seth Godin: The short run and the long run

Free Technology for Teachers

What software do I really need for academic work on Mac? via @acherp