Slow Productivity

The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout

De: Cal Newport

Narrado por: Cal Newport

A New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and IndieBound bestseller


"Brilliant and timely" — Oliver Burkeman


~ Do Fewer Things. Work at a Natural Pace. Obsess over Quality. ~

From the New York Times bestselling author of Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, a groundbreaking philosophy for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload

Our current definition of “productivity” is broken. It pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to impossibly lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. We’re overwhelmed by all we have to do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between giving into soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. But are these really our only choices?

Long before the arrival of pinging inboxes and clogged schedules, history’s most creative and impactful philosophers, scientists, artists, and writers mastered the art of producing valuable work with staying power. In this timely and provocative book, Cal Newport harnesses the wisdom of these traditional knowledge workers to radically transform our modern jobs. Drawing from deep research on the habits and mindsets of a varied cast of storied thinkers – from Galileo and Isaac Newton, to Jane Austen and Georgia O’Keefe – Newport lays out the key principles of “slow productivity,” a more sustainable alternative to the aimless overwhelm that defines our current moment. Combining cultural criticism with systematic pragmatism, Newport deconstructs the absurdities inherent in standard notions of productivity, and then provides step-by-step advice for cultivating a slower, more humane alternative.

From the aggressive rethinking of workload management, to introducing seasonal variation, to shifting your performance toward long-term quality, Slow Productivity provides a roadmap for escaping overload and arriving instead at a more timeless approach to pursuing meaningful accomplishment. The world of work is due for a new revolution. Slow productivity is exactly what we need.

Please stop apologizing

I’m listening to this book right after finishing Die With Zero so maybe my opinion is a little biased, but it feels like Cal spends too much time apologizing for his ideas and this concept of slow productivity. No, it won’t be for everyone. Chocolate strawberries are also not for everyone! Write for the people in your head that this IS for and stop apologizing to all the people you seem to hear yelling at you.

I found the first and second principles good, but the third - obsess about quality- a very bad suggestion. It’s also one Cal didn’t take himself while narrating this book. It is not an excellent performance, but it was good enough. Good enough is good enough.

Great Advice for a Shifting Era

I felt this book started out slow but eventually I found myself really taking value from some of the suggestions Cal offers on how to pursue quality in your work and reach your goals, not by an unsustainable hustle but by going at a natural pace and keeping the focus on quality.

The call to slow down!

The call to slow down! The permission it gives to do one thing at a time and do with excellence. As an entrepreneur/ creative who juggles this was received with gusto!

Love Author! Boring Book… No pizzaz.

This author is incredible and I’ve learned so much from him. This book is just banal and it doesn’t have any Greatest Hits with an analogy to music! I was really eager to get some great points out of it yet the examples and stories are not interesting…

Easy to listen to

This book was relatable and applicable. Very timely in today’s pseudo productive world. Highly recommended.