Fake productivity.

Career

May 12

You know the people who go around telling everyone how many books they've read in a year?

I do because I used to be one of those people. Those people are annoying—I was annoying.

Usually, and I'm speaking for myself. These people are ambitious. They have big dreams and ambitious goals, and it seems like they're always working toward something. But as time goes on, you begin to realize they really haven't done anything. They always talk about what they want to do but never have anything to show for it.

Really, how many self-help books do you need to read before you actually start working on becoming a better version of yourself? How many business books do you need to read before starting the business you want? How many podcasts or YouTube videos do you need to watch to feel #inspired?

Probably not many. At least not enough that you'd bother putting it in your Twitter bio and telling everyone about it.

While there's nothing inherently wrong with trying to learn as much as you can, it's just more so disappointing. Disappointing because you know if these people spent even half the time actually working on the things they say they want to instead of thinking they’re not ready, then they'd be so much further along.

I know this because I had to learn it myself.

There's, of course, merit in immersion and educating yourself before you start something so you don't make mistakes that can be easily avoided. But then there's also the experience and education that comes with actually doing whatever that thing is. And this isn't to say you should skip the initial education part. Rather, it all comes down to where you're at and what your intentions are.

When you're starting out, you should read and search out new perspectives a lot. It's actually kind of your job when you're young. To become well-rounded, you need to try as many things as possible, as fast as possible. Reading, listening, and watching others help you do this quickly, as there's no way you could do it all on your own.

Sampling many different things is how you find the ones that interest you and rule out those that don't.

Then, once you have a general idea of where you want to end up, it's much easier to identify the next step.

In an ideal world, you take what you've learned and start to apply it. And, eventually, you won't have to rely on reading, listening, and watching as much as you'll be learning by doing. You might even start creating the things that other people read, listen to, and watch.

The trouble, though, is when people, like you and me, mistake things that feel productive as actual productivity and don't transition from learning to doing.

Fake productivity feels productive.

Reading books feels productive because we're reading about all of the progress others have made. Listening to podcasts makes us feel like we have also gone through the same journey as the guest we're listening to. Watching a YouTube video makes us feel like we, too, have done the work we're watching.

This is why getting caught up chasing knowledge instead of results is so easy. It's so much easier to feel like you've accomplished something than actually trying to do it yourself. There is such a fine line between productivity and procrastination. How do you even know what side you're on?

It's actually kind of simple. And really, we know when we're doing it. It's just a matter of acknowledging it and adjusting our actions accordingly. When you do things to learn and expand your perspective, you are being productive. When you do those same things as a way to put off actually doing the work, you're procrastinating.

I am sure the people who read to impress others are no longer here, but I want to make sure it's clear I'm not saying you shouldn't read. Just make sure you know why you're reading—or listening—or watching something. Because while I said focusing on being exposed to as many perspectives as possible is a young person's job, it's also for anyone trying to learn or figure out what to do next.

We'll all go through phases, and sometimes we will need to read entire books to help us define our next move, and at other times, might only need to seek out specific information and read one chapter. The point is not to let those things get in your way of being productive and making progress.

So, instead of racking up vanity metrics to maybe impress people with things like how many books you’ve read. Focus on doing things that propel you forward. Because excelling at the game of fake productivity isn’t a game worth winning—play your own game instead.

After trying every productivity system I could find, I designed the Output Journal to take advantage of everything that worked and get rid of everything that got in the way. You can get this framework and a few emails with the strategies and psychology of why it works here: