Redefining Productivity and Perfectionism: ‘Slow Productivity’ by Cal Newport

An essay on the 'why's and 'how's of redefining productivity and perfectionism by cultivating a practice of 'slowness', following 'Slow Productivity' by Cal Newport

Being a productivity freak myself, I’ve had too many unwelcome run-ins with the negative effects of taking on too much work. I can attest to the fact that the stress manifests itself on your body, your skin, your insides. You start off by priding yourself on your ability to be productive and self-motivating, on your ability to run (and think and feel and do) non-stop. But then, once it becomes a habit, you cannot seem to be able to stop. Even though you want to. You’re so exhausted, and so burnt-out. But you’ve started to believe that working or doing so much is a need -  instead of the truth, which is that you have a choice. You always do. 

That choice is not whether you want to work or not, but how and how much. 

In his book ‘Slow Productivity’, Cal Newport talks about ‘the lost art of accomplishment without burnout’. Why has productivity turned so toxic, and how can we turn it back into a healthy practice? Why is ‘busyness’ the wrong approach, and what constitutes ‘good work’? And, above all, how can the art of slowness help us achieve our goals - one step at a time?

Here’s a breakdown of slow productivity, and an effort at redefining perfectionism. 

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While we believe productivity to be an innate and unchangeable quality, in truth, it’s really quite malleable. You can stretch it out or pull it back, and change its shape and size each time you take on new work - by identifying the efforts needed and the quality (NOT quantity) you hope to achieve. 

“We've been conditioned to believe that “good work” requires increasing busyness – that more emails, more tasks, and more meetings somehow equate to better results. This flawed mindset has led us to value visibility over true productivity, giving rise to what can only be described as pseudo-productivity.

Slow productivity offers a path forward – a path that values intentionality over speed, depth over breadth. It's about reclaiming our time and energy, focusing on what truly matters.

After all, true productivity isn't about how much we do, but about how well we do it.”

Cal Newport mentions a good example of rejecting a fast-paced life and retreating to our roots, and to slowness: 

In 1986, when McDonald’s set its rights on Rome, the Italians feared the Americanization of their culture and way of living. This is when Carlo Petrini (Italian activist and journalist) launched the ‘Slow Food’ campaign. It “celebrated deliberateness over speed – the thoughtful selection of premium ingredients, the meticulous preparation to enhance flavours and aromas, and the unhurried enjoyment of meals shared at the table.” What followed were other similar movements such as the Slow Cities and Slow Medicine initiatives - which, in essence, were all ‘slow’ but sure rebellions against the ceaseless pursuit of speed and, by extension, ‘busyness’ and productivity. They focussed on providing time-tested alternatives. 

This circles back to the importance of an old but ever-relevant approach: obsessing over quality above quantity. It applies to strengthening your work ethic no matter the field - be it your everyday corporate job or your personal creative endeavour. Cal Newport writes,

“Immerse yourself in your chosen field, study its nuances, and seek inspiration from diverse sources. Engage with like-minded individuals to refine your taste collaboratively. Invest in high-quality tools and materials, recognizing their role in nurturing both pleasure and confidence in your pursuits.”

Learning how to plan ahead of time is another necessary skill - but it doesn’t just include planning work. It includes planning breaks, too (as an obsessive to-do list maker, this is something I really need to hear). 

“When setting project deadlines, double your initial estimates. This not only provides the breathing room needed to work at a deliberate pace but also guards against the stress of looming deadlines caused by underestimated timelines.

Consider implementing rituals like making Mondays a no-meeting day or scheduling quarterly personal days for leisurely activities.”

Slow productivity is about streamlining and lightening your workload. It’s about making time for the things that make your life what it is - family, friends, fun, or even something as simple as reading a book or going to the cinema. 

Identify what you want your life to look like - your ideal combination of the endless debate of ‘work life versus personal life’ - and harness the power of slow productivity to get closer to it. 

Because the purpose of learning how to manage productivity is not so that you can do everything (and especially not all at once). It’s so that you can make the time to do more of what matters to you.

“To do more, start by doing less."

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In her Harvard Business Review article, ‘How to Manage your Perfectionism’, Rebecca Knight states:

“If you genuinely want to be a high achiever, you’re bound to do some things imperfectly.”

When it comes to productivity and perfectionism, it’s important to recognize exactly what requires your full efforts - and especially, where you can afford to be a little laid-back. Set different standards for different projects - sometimes, your work really doesn’t have to be the best. It just has to contribute to something useful. Recognize when just getting your work done is a worthy enough goal. 

“You must also ‘recognize the opportunity cost and time’ of your behaviour. Ask yourself: ‘Am I using my time wisely? Am I being productive?’ 

Focus on ‘maximising the impact’ of your work. You can spend an extra three hours making a presentation perfect, but does that improve its impact (for the client or your organisation)?

Your objective is to ‘learn where perfectionism has a positive impact and where it does not.’”

The challenge here, I believe, is to be able to allow yourself the space to do this in the first place - which, I know, as a bit of a perfectionist myself, does not come easily. 

It takes conscious effort to slow down, to stop yourself from running, chasing, working, doing.

But we must at least try, and keep reminding ourselves why we’re doing this, any of this, at all. This overarching objective to it all remains - to live life to the fullest, on our own terms and, more importantly, at our own pace.