6 Pillars of Slow Productivity

The hustle of the rise and grind culture is phasing out and with it brings a calmer, gentler approach to accomplishing daily tasks and achieving your goals: slow productivity.

Naturally you might think it’s an oxymoron upon first hearing the term, but according to the technical definition of productivity, it’s not.

Webster’s Dictionary defines productive as “having the quality or power of producing, especially in abundance”.

In fact, you’ll find similar definitions if you look up productivity or productive from other sources. All seem to reinforce the idea that what’s important is the end result of having accomplished or produced something.

None of them refer to the rate of production. Thus, slow productivity is not an oxymoron, it’s a more intentional way to get things done.

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So if you’re feeling burned out and overwhelmed or possibly stuck in the cycle of toxic productivity, it’s time to make changes that will help you feel empowered to be more productive.

Principles of Slow Productivity

If you’re interested in the slow productivity lifestyle but don’t know where to start, below is a list of the pillars or foundational concepts of the strategy to help you understand it better.

Eliminate a sense of urgency

We can often add a sense of urgency to tasks or projects where they aren’t needed, creating a stressful environment where we feel like everything needs our immediate attention.

When you manufacture a rushed timeline it can lead to you making mistakes or taking shortcuts that produce undesirable results.

These feelings are often the result of overwhelm and having too much on your to-do list at one time or frustration that something you’ve been wanting to make happen for a long time hasn’t materialized yet.

Try to take a step back and organize your thoughts so you can come up with a plan to address the situation rather than wasting time worrying without taking action.

For larger projects and tasks it’s better to put in consistent effort over a long period of time if you want to see results. Don’t have unrealistic expectations or put pressure on yourself to see instant results or overnight success.

Don’t skip pre-planning

Pre-planning may sound redundant but it can be super helpful in making sure the actual planning stage goes smoothly. Pre-planning is the step right before planning where you gather information, ideas and resources in preparation for planning.

Another way to put it is that the pre-planning stage is for research and exploration whereas the planning stage is for you to make decisions, set deadlines and take action.

For example, if you’re planning a party there are many things to consider before you reach the stage of actually hiring entertainers and sending out invitations.

You’ll need to have an idea in mind of a venue, guest list, catering and many more details first. The pre-planning step would be to narrow down these ideas into viable options and have all the resources available (phone numbers, addresses, estimated costs, etc.) sorted out for the planning stage.

The planning stage is where you will actually be getting quotes for services, finalizing your guest list, booking a venue and sending out invitations.

To use weekly planning as an example, pre-planning is the step where you write down your to-do list and take note of any appointments and deadlines for the week.

The planning step is when you open your weekly planner and begin to organize your week and plan for it based on all the information you’ve gathered in the previous step.

Whether you want to differentiate the research and information gathering stage as pre-planning or not, it’s important not to skip it because it helps you stay organized and plan more efficiently.

Don’t Fixate on Quantity

The concept of quality over quantity could not be more relevant to the slow productivity lifestyle. To reiterate: it is a common misconception that to be productive means to have a high output.

This misconception can lead you down a path of overwhelm and feeling like you’re constantly falling short. Over time you can develop bad habits out of this line of thinking and even end up stuck in a cycle of toxic productivity.

To prevent this and correct the misconception, try a more mindful approach to productivity. One that is less focused on quantity and big output.

Instead, focus on aligning small individual efforts towards a big goal or change and staying consistent with them in way that feels highly sustainable.

Create a Solid Strategy

Effort without strategy can mean setting yourself up for failure and overwork. Before you start a project or set a goal, you will want to have clear guidelines and expectations about its purpose and how you’re going to achieve it.

For example, say you have a goal to read 30 books in a year. It sounds like a pretty straightforward goal that wouldn’t require much – if any – strategy to achieve it. You just have to put in the time to read the books, right?

But if you dig a little deeper you can develop a strategy that makes sure you’re getting a return on your efforts and makes you more likely to succeed in this goal.

Examples of some questions to ask yourself are:

Where will you get the books from? The library, thrift store, digitally or in audiobook format?

Do you know which books you want to read already? If not, how will you pick out the books? Do you have a process in mind or will you pick them out spontaneously as you finish them?

When do you have time to read? Are you going to set aside ten minutes each morning after you wake up? Will you read before going to sleep? Are you going to allow more time during the weekends to read?

Where will you keep track of how many books you’ve read? Do you want to create a reading journal to add personal book reviews and ratings?

What is the purpose of this goal? Self-enrichment, expanding your vocabulary, setting up a reading habit for many years to come or to spend less time on your phone?

What will you do when you finish the challenge?

As you can see, even a “simple” goal can benefit from a strategy to flesh it out fully.

If you feel like you have a lot of unfinished projects or goals that you can never manage to complete and have attempted over and over again, implementing a solid strategy can help you finally reach a breakthrough.

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Rest

Another common misconception about productivity is that rest is optional or even counterintuitive. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, rest is essential for success.

Your body needs adequate rest to provide you with the energy you need to sustain your daily lifestyle.

When your body is used to having appropriate energy levels, you won’t feel the need to be as reactive or have the urge to make big changes to your routines and goals when you hit a roadblock or feel that you’re spread too thin.

Instead, you will need to rest for a shorter period of time to make a full recovery.

More benefits of regular rest include processing information and events with better clarity. This allows you to make new connections and develop better strategies and plans with those in mind.

You will be able to observe and retain information, sense patterns, and implement necessary changes to be more efficient.

Rest isn’t lazy or trivial, it’s a vital component of productivity and success.

Focus on Sustainability

Arguably the main principle of slow productivity, it’s imperative that your habits and routines feel sustainable long-term to prevent burnout and fatigue.

When you set too high of expectations for yourself too high you can crack under the pressure and start to have a negative mindset rooted in guilt and shame.

These feelings are unproductive and can be avoided by sticking to what you know you can handle. As you gain confidence in your routine you can slowly take on more responsibilities or a larger workload while observing how your body reacts.

Listen to your body and scale back when you need to rest.

For larger projects or intensive goals, carefully plan around your energy levels and resources to match your efforts. This way you’ll prevent them from interfering too much with your daily routine.

Know When it’s Time to Slow Down

It always sounds like a great idea to accomplish a lot in a short period of time. We crave the instant gratification and feeling of achievement that follows.

When we stop associating the output as a measure of productivity, we can try a more balanced approach.

One that will support longer periods of productivity over a greater amount of time.

Embracing slow productivity will make you feel more productive intuitively, without the pressure to overachieve.