Here's what I try to do... work as little as possible while still getting stuff done, deeply think about things before doing any work, manage energy (exercise h

Here's what I try to do... work as little as possible while still getting stuff done, deeply think about things before doing any work, manage energy (exercise helps), use persuasion where its possible to avoid work (others call it sales), and select the activities that you do ruthlessly (selection being the most powerful tool). Pomodoro, not-to-do lists, tracking software, etc all fail because they put emphasis on the wrong things. In those worlds input and output have direct relationships. But IMO you can get more done, by convincing someone not to do their bad idea, that's going to suck up a ton of time and force you to not work on things that could create higher impact. "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all" Another thing I've fallen in love with lately, is finding ways to use as little code as possible (this has actually lead to a passion for Machine Learning). Code, loved by all around here, causes myself and others to reframe our problem solving around it. Sometimes this is a good thing, other times its a bad thing. In theory code just automates things so you can set it and forget it... in practice, every line of code is under your Also, consider viewing your productivity in the context of energy levels. Pretend that you are training for a marathon or something physical. Do those people train all the time as hard as they can? hell no. They work their way towards goals, using patterns that shape their bodies (and minds) towards the goals. Start with a 5K, then do a 10K... all the way up to an ultra marathon. If you get injured or burnt out, do the things that you need to do to heal properly... don't just start running again. If you work for a company, prioritize whats good for the company over what your boss wants. If your boss is doing their job well the two should be in sync. there's more... but I have to go get some stuff done :)