Here’s what Seth Godin recently said about “Simple and Painless Productivity:”
- Don’t invite someone to a meeting if an email or 1:1 conversation will do the job just as well.
- Don’t fly if you can show up virtually and get the job done.
- Instead of asking a group of people when a good time to meet might be, use a doodle.
- Send a calendar invite when you book a time.
- When you get stuck, first ask Claude, then ask a human.
- Show up on time. Leave when the work is done.
- Default to using shared docs (like Google docs) for any collaborative work.
- For repeated tasks, make a checklist. Update it and share it as you go.
- Respect synchronized time. If you can put it in a video instead of saying it live, please do.
I talk a lot about productivity here because a quest for my own productivity (or, more accurately, ownership of my own time) has been part of my journey.
Also, I talk about leadership in today’s post-industrial, new work paradigm. Helping your team be productive. Recognizing what productivity looks like. NOT being part of the problem. Because this has also been a big part of my journey.
I love Seth’s list above. I mostly agree with it all, but have my own take on these points, plus some of my own. I’ll spend the next few days fleshing these out here.
Starting with meetings and email…
