The central goal of Slow Productivity is to keep an individual worker’s volume at a sustainable level. When our work volume increases, so do the accompanying overhead and stress, reducing both the time remaining to actually execute the tasks and the quality of the results. If we can work more sequentially, focusing on a small number of things at a time, waiting until they're done before bringing on new obligations, the rate at which we complete tasks might actually increase.

Slow Productivity

When there’s too much for us to imagine actually completing, we short-circuit our executive functioning mechanisms, resulting in a feeling of anxious unease.The autonomy that defines the professional lives of those who toil in front of computer screens has led us into a trap of excessive work volume. We cannot escape this trap by expanding the weekend. We must ultimately brace ourselves for the larger challenge of slowing down the pace of the workday itself.

As long as the economy rewards productivity and efficiency, there will always be people:<ul><li>piling on the work</li><li>working on the weekend.</li></ul> It’s nice to think that some companies might adopt anti-burnout measures—minimizing those small tasks, and doling out fewer projects.

Rewarding Productivity

<ul><li>When only one basket holds all of your self-esteem eggs, bad things happen. If we feel like we need to do something or prove ourselves in one area to feel good about ourselves, our self-worth is based on something.</li><li>Contingencies of self-worth represent specific domains on which people stake their self-esteem.</li><li>Contingent self-worth is an ineffective source of motivation; although boosts to self-esteem feel good, they can become addictive, requiring ever greater success to avoid feelings of worthlessness.</li></ul>

Self-Esteem and Productivity

Burnout happens when, over a period of time, our resources are depleted faster than they’re restored. It’s partially explained by exhaustion at work, cynicism toward the meaning of work, and a sense of inadequacy at work. It’s mediated by workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. There’s a pretty substantial overlap between the symptoms of burnout and depression, as both entail a loss of motivation.

Burnout Is On The Rise

productivity

Productivity

career

Career

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Slow Productivity is Already Here

Blockchain is bringing fast change to global trade and finance. While the application of the technology is still in the proof of concept stage, it could play a positive role in diverse industries and sectors, including banking, commerce, healthcare, insurance and government. Companies could gain near-instant global access to their funds any time and anywhere. Organisations such as banks that can harness the power of this technology can make worldwide trade and financial services much stronger.

Blockchain will bring fast change globally

A blockchain consists of individual blocks of data involving a series of related transactions linked together in consecutive order. Blockchain allows all parties to share a digital ledger across a computer network without a central authority.

How blockchain works

Blockchain can bring greater efficiency and transparency to the banking industry, such as allowing cross-border transactions in real-time. It has enormous potential implications for global trade and commerce. It can become very efficient because of the number of parties connected to a transaction in a shared infrastructure.

The promise of blockchain

crypto

Cryptocurrency

moneyandinvestments

Money & Investments

How blockchain will revolutionise banking

Professor Scott Galloway wrote in a post that went viral on LinkedIn: "Having balance at my age is a function of lacking it at your age." In his view, work-life balance is accumulated with career capital. Galloway's view likely reflects the lived experience of many Boomer and Gen X workers – people who worked hard to climb the career ladder early on will have the professional clout or financial resources to slow down later on. Yet, in the wake of the pandemic, there's more awareness of the need to balance work and personal lives.

Work first, balance later

Deferred gratification is common. Traditional thinking is that workers who put in long hours early in their careers and ascend the corporate ladder will find it easing up when they've reached financial security or a certain level of seniority. Galloway believes that "your professional trajectory is disproportionately, and unfairly, set by the early years of your career." If you want balance later in life, you shouldn't be seeking it in your twenties. Instead, look for opportunities to break through the competition, accelerate your job prospects and eventually reach grander career heights.

The case for forgoing balance  

The pandemic offered a fresh perspective on the role work plays in people's lives. People realised that their work hours don't make sense, and that work is only one aspect of their lives. Workers of all ages are seeking more flexibility in their jobs and trying to break the link between perceived productivity and presenteeism. However, workplaces generally reward those that prioritise grind while those who seek work-life balance may fall behind.

Why balance remains elusive 

The current discussion around work-life balance does have an impact. Industries trying to erode work-life balance will likely have trouble recruiting and retaining. Tight talent markets mean workers can be picky. However, the professional and financial pressures pushing young workers towards long hours and career commitment will likely remain. Galloway states that the reality is that working towards a work-life balance is slow and boring. Healthy work-life balance is a huge benefit later in life, so it's worth investing in it as early as possible.

Balance as an investment

Young workers want more balance between their personal and professional lives. But is this achievable without the early-years career grind?

Does grinding hard now earn work-life balance later?

The idea that we have certain destructive beliefs about money is certainly true.The most obvious destructive beliefs are “money is evil” or “I’m not good with money.” We all get that. Money is good if you use it to do well. And everyone can learn to get better with money.

Toxic Money Beliefs

When you live in the future, you’re always waiting for the moment to start living your life. You live in this empty space in between goals. And it’s not a good place to be in because you’re always anxious.Here’s a little secret: You can be happy now.

1. “I can start being happy only when I’m making more money”

Some people want to retire by a certain age. A lot of people like the number 40 for some reason.People have done the math. If you want to retire by 40 and want to spend $4K a month, you need at least $2.5 million in retirement savings.That’s why many motivational speakers advocate for being a business owner. Because “very few people can become millionaires by being an employee.”But while it’s great to have a profitable business, you really don’t need to be a full-time entrepreneur. Financial freedom is all about having options like an online business, rental income etc.

2. “You need a business to achieve financial freedom”

You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire.

Prioritizing money over time is tough because it’s ingrained in our behaviour.The adage, “being cheap is expensive,” is cliche but true. Everything we do has an <a href="https://dariusforoux.com/opportunity-cost/">opportunity cost</a>.The catch is to not throw money at your problems. It’s common when we’re stressed or unfulfilled. Instead, try to be <a href="https://dariusforoux.com/awareness/">self-aware</a> and find the root cause of these issues. That’s a better way to spend one’s time.

3. “Money is more important than my time”

That’s true but also not true.The problem with this platitude is that it puts us in a scarcity mindset. But building sustainable wealth isn’t about holding on tightly to the small amount of money you make. It’s a matter of creating value.That’s the beauty of building a <a href="https://members.dariusforoux.com/digitalbusiness-school">profitable digital business</a>. You create value in the digital world. And ultimately, that translates to the “real” world.

4. “Money doesn’t grow on trees”

You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.

The goal of financial freedom, like many other things, is balance. It’s not about more, more, more. We don’t want to be too cheap or too lavish. We can be ambitious and grow. But at the same time, we also don’t want to overspend and live beyond our means.

Keep Challenging Your Beliefs

Live according to your income.

There are deeper, less-explored toxic money beliefs. These keep us from financial freedom. The first step is to become self-aware of them.

4 Toxic Money Beliefs That Keep You From Financial Freedom

First identify the people, tasks and contexts that traditionally try to intrude on your schedule. In a work-from-home context, that might be family, neighbors, pets or household chores, just as much as it might be work colleagues or team members.An intrusive distraction can also be your own impulses. Writers often joke that their homes are never cleaner than when a deadline approaches. For all of us, the constant siren call of social media and gaming apps lure us from more high-worth activities.Once you’ve done this, you can create strategies targeted to keep them at bay.

 Identify the intruders

Remember, your time and energy are finite resources. Every time you give yours away to someone else, those resources are no longer available to you for your own work.Instead, show your colleagues the courtesy of letting them process and resolve their own problems and obstacles. That helps you focus on your own work, but it also might make you a more valuable team player, somewhat paradoxically. That's because you have more time and energy to dive into deep work, exercise your creativity and solve bigger problems for the team or company as a whole.

Stop being overly helpful

Chunking your schedule by context is a well-known method to help you “get into a groove” with tasks sorted by context. For example, set aside one hour for processing all your email, then don’t look at your email again until the next email chunk. Or set aside two hours after lunch for reading or ideation work.Make sure your schedule and its chunks of time are visible to your team, so they know when they can and cannot intrude. Then commit yourself to staying on task during those time chunks, and respond to any messages or requests at a free time in your calendar.

Chunk your daily time into context-driven slots

Setting a schedule isn’t enough. To really help yourself adhere to it and enforce your time boundaries, get in the habit of previewing the day’s schedule the night before or first thing in the morning.You can also preview on a weekly basis to get a better sense of what lies ahead for you. Previewing your schedule psychologically reinforces the choices you’ve made as commitments, not just “stuff that has to get done some time — whenever no one else needs me.”

Get into the habit of previewing your schedule

Regularly scheduled meetings are the most effective way to keep up with every team member’s workload and process, but they also help avoid smaller disruptions during the remainder of work time.Use the regular meeting time to help each team member overcome sticking points and identify potential future stumbling blocks. Respect everyone’s time by keeping to a strict agenda and rigidly enforcing time limits for each agenda item.

Check in with your team regularly with better meetings

Commit to leaving work behind at the set time and then embrace personal activities such as family time, exercise, pursuing hobbies and creative rest. This is especially important during our new WFH reality when those work/life boundaries get all too blurred, if not erased entirely.Communicate your “on and off” hours to your team members and employees so they’ll know this is a priority for you. Bonus: It’ll likely become a bonus for them as well, and when they follow your lead, you’ll wind up with a happier, healthier, and more productive team.

Draw a firm line between work and personal life activities

Feeling burned out isn't just for founders who work absurdly long hours. It can also happen to other company leaders and managers whose attention and energy get pulled in every direction. 

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

timemanagement

Time Management

Feeling Burned Out? Maybe You're Not Being Selfish Enough With Your Time

Today flexible work schedules have become the new normal for employers and employees. Approximately 76% of employees prefer flexible work schedules as an attractive incentive for improving satisfaction levels.Flexible hours refer to giving employees the freedom of adjusting and choosing their working hours and days based on suitability.Job needs, how the organization performs within its industry, and the employee’s preferences or demands influence flexible working hours. Working hours are agreed upon by both the employer and the employee.

Flexible Working Hours

Many organizations are implementing more flexible schedule policies because they see the benefits of allowing their staff to work from home.
<ul>
<li>Concentrate on work outcomes and deadlines</li>
<li>Invest in better training and tracking tools.</li>
<li>Hold one-on-one meetings regularly</li>
<li>Establish a Double-Coverage Attendance System</li>
<li>Establish Employee Mutual Contracts</li>
<li>Make the switch from FaceTime to Flex Time.</li>
<li>Hold daily team meetings regularly.</li>
<li>Create Collaboration Workflow Solutions.</li>
</ul>

More Companies Going Flexi

Here is what needs to be done in managing a flexible work schedule:
<ul>
<li>Incorporate communication and project management software: This keeps teams updated about who is doing what and how much work has finished.</li>
<li>Foster a virtual environment of collaboration: Collaborative teams produce more productive outcomes.</li>
<li>Offering great support to employees, in providing direction and resources contributes</li>
<li>Focus on employee recognition and motivation.</li>
<li>Promote boundaries and work/life balance.</li>
</ul>

How to Maintain Productivity with Flexible Work Hours: The Do's

<ul>
<li>Don’t allow employees who prefer higher guidance.</li>
<li>Don’t exclude employees for no reason. Employees engage more with the organization when they are treated fairly by the employer.</li>
<li>Don’t be adamant about timings. Flexibility in working not only means permitting employees to work from home but also involves giving liberty to them to choose their work hours</li>
<li>Don’t stop considering employees who are not in the office. If the employees do not get information on the organization’s decisions and performances, they feel lost in the working environment.</li>
</ul>

Don’ts of Flexible Work Schedule

Increased productivity and greater employee satisfaction are the key benefits of flexible working hours for employers.

remotework

Remote Work

How to Maintain Productivity with a Flexible Work Schedule

Rents are going up, but brokers insist that negotiations are still possible, even in a competitive market.Call your landlord at least three months before the lease expires and ask whether the rent will be going up. This will give you time to negotiate and consider your options. Here are some tips from the experts.

Rents Going Up

Vacancies cost landlords money — they lose rent while they clean, paint, repair and show the apartment. And they may have to pay the broker’s fee, too. A new tenant might be noisy or not pay on time. Point out these risks, and ask for a compromise.Perhaps you could shave $100 a month off the increase. Or, find other ways to save. Ask for an 18-month or 24-month lease to lock in the terms for longer. If you pay a pet or amenity fee, perhaps the landlord might waive one.

Playing To Your Strengths

Do your research on rentals in the building, on the block and in the neighborhood to make sure the renewal price your landlord is offering is fair and in line with the current market. Leverage that data in conversations with your landlord.Moving is not cheap. Calculate how much it will cost you to move, factoring in a moving van, a broker fee and other associated costs. Then calculate the increase over the course of the year and decide whether or not you’ll come out ahead if you stay or if you go.

Do Your Homework

Brokers insist that negotiations are possible, even in a competitive market. Here are some tips from the experts.

marketingandsales

Marketing & Sales

How to Negotiate Your Rent (Which Is Probably Going Up)

It means taking an extended time-out from your normal life to travel the world on your own terms. Vagabonds work only to travel. They travel solely for the sake of traveling, and therefore earning money is part of their mission to earn the freedom to do just that.So vagabonding doesn’t start with picking a departure date at the travel agent or arriving at the check-in counter at the airport. It starts with saving money, poring over maps, figuring out your destination and your why, and finally stopping to make excuses and putting off your journey.

Vagabonding

“The value of your travels does not hinge on how many stamps you have in your passport when you get home -- and the slow nuanced experience of a single country is always better than the hurried, superficial experience of forty countries.”

Our relationship with money makes us see travel as a luxury, which is why we think of “a vacation” just like we think of a new car or an expensive TV – it costs a ton of money and is a one-time thing.But tightly packed, stressful, calculated flat fee holiday cruises with a fixed budget provide none of the rich experiences travel is really about. If you think there might be a vagabond inside you, the first thing that’ll have to change is your relationship with money.

Change Your Relationship With Money

It means negotiating with your employer for special sabbaticals and long-term leaves of absence.

Constructive Quitting

“Work is when you confront the problems you might otherwise be tempted to run away from.”

<ul><li>Stop expansion. Don’t add any new possessions to your life</li><li>Rein in your routine. Live more humbly and invest the difference into your travel fund</li><li>Reduce clutter. Downsize what you already own (and sell it to make extra money).</li></ul>The goal of preparation is not knowing exactly where you’ll go but being confident nonetheless that you’ll get there. Your attitude is more important than your itinerary.

Simplify Your Life For Vagabonding

“The simple willingness to improvise is more vital, in the long run, than research.”

Vagabonding revolves around the people you meet on the road — and the attitude you take into these encounters can make or break your entire travel experience.<ul><li>To know how to conscientiously spend money on the road, watch what the locals do.</li><li>Be sure to carry photos of yourself, your hometown, and your family to show to people on the road.</li></ul>

The People You Meet On The Road 

<ul><li>Speak slowly, simply, and clearly</li><li>Be patient and try to figure out mispronounced words from the context of what is being said</li><li>Compliment anyone brave (and helpful) enough to try his or her English on you</li><li>Develop a knack for cross-cultural small talk</li><li>Commit a few words and phrases of the local language to memory.</li></ul>

Bridge The “Language Gap”

<ul><li>If in doubt about what to do in a place, just start walking through your new environment</li><li>Don’t make too many arrangements at once as it stunts your spontaneity. Only make advance reservations for one trip at a time</li><li>Wash your own clothes with shampoo.</li><li>Rooms are easy to find so don’t bother with reservations. Exceptions: local festivals, high tourist season, or when you’re arriving at night</li><li>Never check into a room without asking to see it first</li><li>Don’t put your bags into the trunk of a taxi, as this is often used as a bargaining chip by dodgy taxi drivers</li><li>Pre-trip immunizations are vital.</li></ul>

Life on The Road

<ul><li>If you can cook it, boil it, or peel it, you can eat it — otherwise, forget it</li><li>Look for establishments with lots of customers and healthy-looking employees</li><li>When ordering meat, make sure it’s well cooked. Be wary of milk, “beef”, leafy salads, and shellfish</li><li>Avoid non-purified water (ice included) and make sure your bottled water is sealed</li><li>Keep in mind that a restaurant’s food isn’t necessarily healthy (or clean, or tasty) merely because the place has an English-language menu and serves up pizza, club sandwiches, or an “American” breakfast.</li></ul>

Food

<ul><li>Avoid bringing expensive or irreplaceable items </li><li>Don’t brag about the wealth you do have </li><li>Keep cash in discreet places like a money belt, a sock, or a hidden pocket. Be wary of public distractions and dense crowds. This is where pickpockets tend to operate</li><li>When staying at a hotel or guesthouse, keep your extra cash in the safe</li><li>Be wary of pushy new “friends” who insist on giving you free shopping or sightseeing tours.</li></ul>

Crime and Scams

<ul><li>Let go of your pre-trip stereotypes and exchange two-dimensional expectations for living people, living places, and living life.</li><li>Fall into a nightly ritual of partying and you might overlook the subtlety of places, stunt your travel creativity, and trap yourself in the patterns of home.</li><li>Creativity is particularly important after you’ve been on the road for a long time, because inevitably you’ll fall into a kind of road routine.</li></ul>

Vagabonding Is A Rediscovery Of Reality Itself

<ul><li>Returning home can be weird. Everything will look like it did but feel completely different at the same time.</li><li>It’s hard for friends to relate to your travel experiences because they don’t share the values that took you out on the road in the first place. So remember to keep your stories short and save the best bits for yourself.</li><li>Hitting the road to get travel out of your system rarely works, so the best remedy upon returning home is to make travel a part of your system.</li></ul>

Coming Home

Dreaming of working from anywhere? Here are the key things you need to know about starting your digital nomad journey

books

Books

travel

Travel

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

How To Become A Digital Nomad

Not just a plan of action, vagabonding is an outlook on life that emphasizes creativity, discovery, and the growth of the spirit.

A complete guide to the vagabond approach to travel espouses taking time off from one's normal routine--for weeks to years--to discover the wonders of the world for oneself, explaining how to plan and prepare for travel, simplify one's lifestyle and adapt to life on the road, handle travel adversity, and finally, reassimilate to ordinary life. Original. 15,000 first printing.

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • With a new foreword by Tim Ferriss • “Vagabonding easily remains in my top-10 list of life-changing books. Why? Because one incredible trip, especially a long-term trip, can change your life forever. And Vagabonding teaches you how to travel (and think), not just for one trip, but for the rest of your life.”—Tim Ferriss, from the foreword There’s nothing like vagabonding: taking time off from your normal life—from six weeks to four months to two years—to discover and experience the world on your own terms. In this one-of-a-kind handbook, veteran travel writer Rolf Potts explains how anyone armed with an independent spirit can achieve the dream of extended overseas travel. Now completely revised and updated, Vagabonding is an accessible and inspiring guide to • financing your travel time • determining your destination • adjusting to life on the road • working and volunteering overseas • handling travel adversity • re-assimilating back into ordinary life Updated for our ever-changing world, Vagabonding is an indispensable guide for the modern traveler.

Rolf Potts

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

To get started, create a repeating event for the first of the month. Then, make sure you check your expenses against the targets you set to see if everything is still intact. If not, don’t be afraid to revise your targets – or spending – if they’re too low or too high.

Use Your Calendar to Create a Budget

When it comes to recurring bills, whether if you’re manual or automatic payments, never be taken by surprise. Place these due dates into your Calendar and set reminders to ensure that these payments go through without a hitch.

Put Due Dates on Your Calendar

<ul><li>For example, if you need to get out of the house, then block out Friday afternoons for grocery shopping, dinner, and maybe a movie. </li><li>However, on Thursday and Saturday, put the brakes on your spending and look for free activities, like going for a hike and making your meals at home. </li></ul>

Schedule “No Spend” Days

Many locations offer certain popular family attractions for free on certain days of the week, such as museums and aquariums. In addition, you can usually save money at your favorite restaurants during the midweek period. To make sure that you can take advantage of these deals, mark them down in your Calendar. Of course, you don’t have to partake every. But, at least it gives you options when trying to save money.

Set Reminders for Free or Reduced Days

In addition to recurring bill payment dates, you should also mark the due dates of your personal federal and state taxes for the upcoming year on your Calendar. Moreover, you should also schedule the following"<ul><li>Appliance warranty dates. Note on your Calendar how long it is until the warranty expires. </li><li>Vehicle maintenance and inspection dates. </li><li>Household repair and maintenance. </li><li>Insurance. Check all of your insurance policies, whether your home, auto, life, or renters. It doesn’t hurt to know about these dates in advance, even if you receive alerts from companies during the year.</li></ul>

Add To-Do-List Items to Your Calendar

<ul><li>You may have taken advantage of Netflix’s free trial because you had to check out that new Ryan Reynolds flick. But, if you aren’t using Netflix after that trial ends, make a note to cancel it before you get charged.</li><li>Or, maybe you used to love going to the gym but now prefer to work out from home. Cancel your memberships instead of forking over this money each month.</li></ul>

Note When Free Trials End or Set Reminders to Cancel Subscriptions

Many money-saving challenges run over an extended period of time, like an entire year. However, if you set a resolution to save long after January 1, you can still start any of these saving challenges whenever you want. And to track your progress, you’ll also need to rely on your Calendar as well.For example:<ul><li>Dollar savings challenge. Set a goal of saving a dollar each day. You can keep this up throughout the entire year to build your savings fund in a manageable way.</li><li>$20 savings challenge. Is saving $1 a day too easy for you? How about multiplying it? Put aside $20 each week for the year.</li></ul>

Implement Savings Challenges

Each day, you probably consult a common item that can save you a lot of money. It&#8217;s probably sitting right there on your desk, wall, or conveniently on your phone...

habits

Habits

Want to Save More Money This Year? Put it on Your Calendar

How can founders prevent their personal well-being from being swayed by the harsh winds of business that batter their company every day?
In reality, most founders who’ve watched their personal lives spiral after an awful Q3 have lived to tell the tale. And each has their own strategies to manage this situation better in the future.

The Founders: Blurring Of Personal And Professional Lives

How do you maintain your own wellbeing during challenging times for the company?Never skip my morning routine—whatever happens. Stick to your leisurely activities for a few good hours of the morning, whether it is exercise, reading, writing or even sleeping!

Maintaining Your Own Wellbeing

Having your self-worth fully tied to your business is a slippery slope. It's the same as having your self-worth tied to a relationship. If you get destroyed by it not working, you won't be able to continue to the next step—and businesses are a long term thing.
So take care of yourself and make that a priority. Protect your mental space by blocking out time to think.

Don't Tie Your Self-Worth To Your Business

How do you create a healthy distance between yourself and your company?It is about introspecting to really understand where our job stands in our list of priorities. One way is to write down the ten most important things in our lives, and try to put a priority number on them. We will not get it right the first time but will get a sense of what is important to us.

A 10 Point List

The trick is to decide how many hours you’re going to work each day, then to leave the office every day thinking: ‘I did everything humanly possible in the best way that I could.’
Like with most things in mental health, it’s a muscle you have to constantly exercise. So keep reminding yourself when you go home: ‘this is a new chapter of my day, the last one is now closed.’

Self-Discipline

How do you create a space for yourself away from the stress of your company?Mental health is something that you've got to practice every single day—it's like brushing your teeth. Eating well, taking supplements, going to the gym—are all key parts of the routine.You also have to be very intentional about balancing friends, family, and relationships with work.

Creating Space

Find that thing that resonates with you, like “I’m enough. I’m enough. I’m where I’m meant to be—I’m enough.” Whatever it is, find that mantra and use it to anchor yourself any time you feel overwhelmed.

Recite A Mantra

The best thing we can do is find a founder that is one step ahead of us to give us perspective. Opening up to someone that can be impartial, that can understand your struggles, give some perspective, or even just give an ear to the problems you're facing—sometimes that’s 50% of the solution.

Slow Productivity is Already Here

How blockchain will revolutionise banking

Does grinding hard now earn work-life balance later?

4 Toxic Money Beliefs That Keep You From Financial Freedom

Feeling Burned Out? Maybe You're Not Being Selfish Enough With Your Time

Judy Clark