First, wtf is productivity?
In simple terms, productivity is your output based on your input.
If you put in 2 hours (input) and get enough work done for the week (output), that’s productive.
Obviously, that’s oversimplified asl but it will help us understand better.
So, when I talk about productivity, I’m talking about how much output you get per input.
Trust me, I’m making this as simple as possible because every time I mention input/output I get flashbacks of math class and coding.
Another thing important to understand is the difference between your conscious and subconscious mind.
See, your conscious mind is like a cheetah.
It can sprint very fucking fast - but has a very strict limit for how long.
Your subconscious mind is like a homo sapien.
It can’t run fast like a cheetah - but it can always keep moving forward, no matter how long it’s been going for.
And we all know how fucking scary that was.
I mean, imagine being a mammoth.
Running for hours and finally thinking you’ve escaped them.
But as soon as you lay down to rest, you see them — right behind you.
With the same pace as before. Not slowed down even a single bit.
Wtf are you supposed to do?
That’s the difference between your conscious and subconscious mind.
Your conscious mind can cover a lot of distance by working intense hours — but only for a limited time.
We know that, right?
Now, let me ask you this.
Have you ever had a decision you need to make, but no matter how much conscious thought you put into it, you just can’t seem to get a firm answer?
But when you go to sleep that night and wake up the next day, you magically have an answer?
Has that happened to you before?
Well, that's the power of the subconscious mind.
It solves problems that your conscious mind can’t.
Darwin’s theory of evolution wasn’t created by conscious thought — it was created by subconscious thought.
See, he knew there was some link, but just couldn’t figure it out.
But Darwin did this one thing that changed everything…
He used to go on walks.
But the fuck does that have to do with anything?
Well, those walks allowed his conscious mind to rest and allowed his subconscious mind to take over.
Actually, don’t even trust what I say.
Here’s what a REAL book called “Rest” by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang says:
After his morning walk and breakfast, Darwin was in his study by 8 and worked a steady hour and a half. At 9:30 he would read the morning mail and write letters. At 10:30, Darwin returned to more serious work, sometimes moving to his aviary, greenhouse, or one of several other buildings where he conducted his experiments.
By noon, he would declare, “I’ve done a good day’s work,” and set out on a long walk on the Sandwalk, a path he had laid out not long after buying Down House. (Part of the Sandwalk ran through land leased to Darwin by the Lubbock family.) When he returned after an hour or more, Darwin had lunch and answered more letters. At 3 he would retire for a nap; an hour later he would arise, take another walk around the Sandwalk, then return to his study until 5:30, when he would join his wife, Emma, and their family for dinner.
On this schedule he wrote 19 books , including technical volumes on climbing plants, barnacles, and other subjects; the controversial Descent of Man; and The Origin of Species, probably the single most famous book in the history of science , and a book that still affects the way we think about nature and ourselves.
If your attention is cooked then you’ll realize it’s just better to trust me than read paragraphs (not saying that’s a good thing, you should do your own research).
But as you can see, most of his day wasn’t actually spent working - yet he still accomplished more than 99% of humans in history.
You can also see, that went on walks pretty frequently.
Again, don’t trust me - read the book “Deep Work” by Cal Newport because that dives deeper into what I’m saying right now.
That’s actually where I got this information from.
(I literally spent like 20 minutes trying to find the exact passage he gave the evidence in just so I could quote it here but I couldn’t find it anywhere)
And not just deep work, this idea was ALSO mentioned heavily in psycho-cybernetics.
If so many accomplished people are talking about this, AND have used it themselves, it must have some truth to it, right?
That’s exactly why you need to try it.
Most of you aren’t workaholics or spend 19 hours setting up automations, but if you are, give this a try.
Allow your conscious mind to rest and let your subconscious mind tackle the problem.
The simple rule is that you have to occupy yourself with something physical first (like walking, drawing, cooking, etc.) and then let your mind run in the background.
It takes practice, time, and a little effort - but it’s worth it.
After all, most men who changed the world came up with their ideas while walking.
That means their input was little but output was massive.
Does that seem productive?