All You Need to Know to be
Productive

The Art of Working Less to Achieve More

If your goal isn’t to work fourteen hours a day, but to get the same results in seven so you can go play tennis, this book is for you.

  • You’ll find out when, how, and why you waste time, and when, how, and why you perform at your best.

  • You’ll sharpen your focus in the short term, blocking out what’s not relevant right now.

  • We’ll explore the balance between efficiency (doing things right) and effectiveness (doing the right things).

  • I’ll give you practical tactics to regain control when life overwhelms you.

  • We’ll apply all of it to your life, your work, and your relationship with technology.

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CONTENTS

  • Before we start…

    Time only moves forward

    The idea of productivity has changed

    What you’ll find in this book

  • Beware of time vampires

    Procrastination is born from indecision

    Distractions start within you

    When I was little, I used to get bored

    Interruptions come from outside

    Inefficiency is spending more energy than necessary

    A Belgian tale

    What are your vampires?

    When do they show up — and how?

    When are you most (and least) productive?

    A Belgian tale: les vampires belges

  • Simplify your reality

    Design your day to make it memorable

    Eliminate to focus on what matters today

    Learn the difference between urgent and important

    Make one list for mid-term goals and one for today

    You're constantly scanning for threats and rewards

    In the short term, trick your brain

    Did you know you have two brains?

    Optimize your space, boost your energy, surround yourself with curious people

    A Belgian tale: a memorable jour

    Beat procrastination

    Find your personal why

  • Doing the right things matters more than doing things right

    Understand the why behind your priorities and goals

    The Pareto rule is my first commandment

    Practice slow-motion multitasking

    Batch your tasks

    Protect your time blocks

    A Belgian tale: build your own Tetris pieces

    There are three ways to say no

    Learn to say no to spontaneous requests

    Sometimes it's okay not to finish what you start

    A Belgian tale: do fewer things

    You can delegate tasks, but not responsibility

    Give yourself permission to slack off

    Decide when to act “just in case” and when “just in time”

    Add resources only when it starts to hurt

  • Before automating, eliminate and optimize

    Parkinson’s law is my second commandment

    Combine Pareto and Parkinson to work magic

    A Belgian tale: let’s play Tetris

    Do you need a revolution or an evolution?

    Clean your closet, your desk, your computer

    Organize your closet, your desk, your computer

    Focus on effort, not outcome

    Be predictable, simple, and consistent

    Build yourself a kanban board

    Create friction, traction, and commitment

    Be specific to avoid confusion and clarifications

    Don’t let perfect be the enemy of progress

  • Decide whether to tackle the task now or later

    A Belgian tale: create an express prioritization system

    Where do I even start?

    Feeling overwhelmed and being burned out are not the same

    Make a dramatic gesture

    Create before you manage

    Let the dust settle

    Reframe the situation

    What to do when panic mode kicks in

    Celebrate your wins and spot your patterns

  • Let technology serve you — not the other way around

    Use email for what it was originally designed for

    A Belgian tale about email

    Use chat and messaging like a sauna

    Match your message to the right channel

    Create a “Frequently Asked Questions” doc

    Repeat after me: meeting agenda

    Let your calendar breathe

    …And Satan created social media

    Productivity in Spain, Belgium, and Singapore: a totally unscientific, stereotype-filled analysis

  • Final thoughts: don’t confuse presenteeism and connectivity with productivity

    Summary

    Other productivity-related ideas you’ll find in my other books

    References