The Productivity System You Use Doesn’t Matter

Those who are close to me know I take minimalism pretty seriously. I spend a not-insignificant amount of my time reading minimalism books, minimalism blog articles, coming up with new organization systems for my possessions, making plans to donate things, and nitpicking the way others choose to organize their homes. It’s a hobby of mine (though some would call it an obsession).

Proponents of minimalism claim that it drastically improves their productivity and ability to lead a meaningful life. Based on my experience, I agree — ever since I started practicing minimalism, my ability to achieve my goals has shot through the roof. But these days, my interest in minimalism isn’t helping me achieve my goals anymore. Reading about minimalism amuses me, but it no longer educates me; by this point, I’ve read most of what’s out there. When I read about minimalism now, I’m not learning anything new. I’m reading for fun, the same way people read gossip mags and keep up with the latest royal family scandals.

There are a lot of people who do the same thing with productivity systems. Every time a new productivity book comes out, they buy it instantly and devour everything it has to say. Every time a productivity writer publishes an article like “What My Minimalist Phone Looks Like,” they read it as soon as possible. Everything there is to know about personal productivity, they already know.

If you’re one of those people, that probably isn’t helping you all that much anymore. When someone’s life lacks structure, adding in basics like minimalism and to-do lists can exponentially increase the number of things someone is able to get done.

• If a hoarder adopts minimalism, chances are that they will be able to sell their excess possessions for thousands of dollars, start cooking again, lose weight, and pick up old hobbies and start achieving their dreams.
• If someone who spends six hours on their phone a day gets that time down to one hour, they can use the reclaimed time to finally start that side project and build a gym habit.
• If someone with no financial budgeting and tracking systems downloads a simple budgeting app, the hundreds of dollars they save every month can make a significant impact on paying down their student debt.

But if those aren’t huge areas for improvement in your life, the benefit you get from studying these things is minimal.

• When someone who is already pretty clean and minimal gets slightly more minimalist, their life may get a little better and a little more fulfilling, but it won’t get exponentially better.
• When someone who spends two hours a day on their phone gets down to one hour, the one saved hour is nice, but it’s not enough time to finally pursue that dream.
• When someone who’s already all right at budgeting downloads budgeting app after budgeting app, the financial savings aren’t enough to make a significant contribution toward their financial goals.

Minimalism, productivity techniques, email management strategies — all these things can transform someone’s life. But it’s not true that they always will. They can only transform someone’s life to the degree that their life needed that kind of transformation in the first place.

The way to transform your life is by identifying the areas that need the most work and starting there. Do you use a to-do list, calendar system, inbox zero principles, and keep a bullet journal, but still eat Lays potato chips for dinner more than once a month? If so, you’re going to get a lot more out of meal prepping than you are out of trying out yet another journaling method.

Take a hard look at your life and see what your biggest areas of weakness are. Use the following questions for guidance.

1. Do you exercise regularly?
2. Do you have a morning and bedtime routine?
3. Do you have a healthy diet?
4. Do you have a financial plan? Do you feel financially secure?
5. Do you have loving, supportive friends? Do you feel like you can call on them in times of crisis?
6. Do you set and maintain healthy boundaries with others?
7. Do you have a drug or alcohol habit?
8. Is your house clean? Are your dishes done?
9. Do you feel rushed on a day-to-day basis?
10. Do you like your job?
11. Do you like how much you get paid?

Any one of these questions can reveal something major in your life that needs attention. You’re going to make a lot more progress in your life if you pay attention to those areas, instead of reading the same sort of productivity advice over and over and over.

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