Productivity

I think it’s a really positive thing to be driven to create things and accomplish things. To improve our environment. To be "productive".

Even going back to my school days, I’ve believed in creating things for myself. The "real me" creates stuff on nights and weekends. I’m not defined by what I do at work (though sometimes I’m very proud of what I create there as well.)

To me, being "productive" means having something tangible to show for my time on this planet. Something that represents me and no one else.

Currently, the most powerful method of sticking with personal projects (and my day job, too!) is slow-steady-progress with The Project Stack! (an actual paper stack). which helps me Do One Thing at a Time.

And here’s my big 2026 article about managing my (often scarce) mental and temporal resources using the Stack, etc.: Finishing Things.

How to Do Things

Another angle to this is: project-depth

Or 180 degrees: anti-productivity

Note that Parenting taught me the value of my free time

See also The Phased Approach to (personal) project work. And Simultaneous Learning vs Simultaneous Doing. And procrastination. And try not to think about The ridiculous lives of certain famous productive people.

And don’t forget to mix in some intentional-rest!