The problem with most productivity advice

Look around and it won’t take long to get a clear picture of how most of the world views productivity... Laziness is the enemy. Procrastination is a sin. And "getting things done" only comes through hard work. But what if overworking is the reason you’re not getting anywhere? What if there was another way to reach your goals? What if you’ve been thinking about productivity all wrong?

Hi there 👋 If you're new to my videos my name is Matt D'Avella. I'm a documentary filmmaker, entrepreneur and YouTuber. I've made a couple documentaries for Netflix. I also teach courses on everything from filmmaking to habit change. If you like to nerd out about self-development as much as I do, you can subscribe for weekly videos.

🔗 LINKS

🎬 CREDITS
Directed by Matt D'Avella
Produced by Matt D'Avella, Shawn Forno & Emma Norris
Cinematography by Matt D'Avella & Pasko Trenou
Edited by Matt D'Avella
Research by Janessa Tan

[nico_ventolini]

"Don't do more today than you can completely recover from tomorrow." Thank you. I needed that.

[crumbledonkeythirtyseven]

I heard a quote about diminishing returns that fits- “people overestimate what they can do in a day, but underestimate where they can be in a year”
Our AP psych teacher even advises against cramming, telling us to just do a little bit of studying each day

[Lewisking]

So what I've got from this video is:
-Don't do more than I can completely recover from by tomorrow
-Be grateful in what I have and find joy in what I can do when facing hardship; be it finding humor in the absurd, going on walks or socializing.
-Set minimum as well as easy to accomplish upper boundaries to work, making it easier to create routines without getting burned out.
-Make a simple done-for-the-day list and write down what has to be done for the day for me to feel satisfied for the day, instead of an ever increasing to-do list.
That's honestly very good advice.

[Reyro.G]

“Don’t do more today than you can recover from completely tomorrow “
Can’t agree more with Greg.We have this saying in Persian, which basically says the key to achieve your goal is to work for it slow but consistent

[Manila-]

Not gonna lie, as soon as I read the title I immediately thought "here we go again, another one of those videos about productivity". Well, I think you proved me wrong, I genuinely think that this is one of the best videos (if not the best) that I've ever seen not only about the topic but in general. Your videos never fail to amaze me! The message was very we'll articulated, the guest was amazing, the production was perfect. Great job❤

[_crowsnest_]

As a college student this was a breath of fresh air. I constantly find myself working deep into nights just to crash and be tired by noon the next day regardless of how much sleep I got. Gonna do my best to moderate my work, be more consistent, and most importantly, REST more. Thank you

[MrJohnverkerk]

The first thing I told my staff is that I am so totally lazy that I wanted the necessities done as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Then I acknowledged that our work is repetitive, cold and boring, so we were going to make it as much fun as possible. Zero bullying included.
Then I told them they were no use with flat batteries. If they wanted food, coffee or a smoke, they were to indulge rather than follow designated time slots.
Productivity was to be achieved by eliminating all unnecessary stuff and removing obstacles to the rest. How? By engaging the intellect and creativity of every one. It was my job to recognize those talents and deploy them where best suited to that worker.
All I had left to do was show them their contribution to the balance sheet and tell them how amazing they are.
As you can tell, this approach worked a treat.

[Growwithzeel]

The biggest learning lesson for me here - *”The way we do things is as important as the things we are trying to achieve”* Brought me new perspective 🧡

[alicemuller]

The truth is more important than the facts. Access to productive information is what we all need to become successfully in life. To possibly create wealth good enough to retire, proficiency is indeed necessary; cause most affluent entrepreneurs acquires the synergy of wealth managers that offers high-net-worth operations that encompasses all parts of a person’s financial life.

[tomorrowkiddo]

It took me three watch throughs to take this fully in because my conditioned brain resisted so much. Now I’ve got it. Amazing how much our cultures influence our personal rules on how we choose to live, to the point that you actually disagree with your own choices. No wonder I was feeling so stressed. Hope you two have a safe trip back down under.

[BerSeben]

7:17 It's funny that I'm watching this video while currently experiencing what he is telling us. Yesterday I had so much work to do, so many things that I needed to complete, and I made a lot of effort to complete all my tasks. I made it through, it worked it out, but today more work popped up on my radar and I feel exhausted. This boom and bust cycle is definitely something we need to be conscious of so we can find our own ideal rhythms. It's all about the balance, in everything.

[GuidoPerdomo]

I'm astounded at the amazing quality of the interview exchange, audio and video. This is the first time I see it in a youtube setting, and wish this were the standard.

[rlquinn]

After this video, I read up on the "race to the South Pole, " and, as with many self-help-ified versions of historical events, the truth is far more complicated.

The British expedition were just that, an expedition. They were not a team "racing" to the pole and had no idea another group was vying to beat them. In addition to traveling to the pole, their objective was to undertake scientific analysis. Their findings did later prove to fill in significant gaps in meteorological, geographical and biological knowledge.

The Norwegians set sail planning to travel to the north pole but were surprised when their leader informed them they were going south instead in a last minute decision to try to beat the Brits. Their entire objective was to beat them with no other concerns.

The Brits wore poorer clothing, which trapped sweat and allowed it to freeze. The Norwegians wore clothing fashioned after Inuit technology. The Brits were not prepared for the food demands of the extreme cold. The Norwegians, who had traveled the north many times, were better prepared in quantity and quality. The Brits also had less experience traversing snowy terrain. By contrast, the Norwegians were highly accustomed to dog sled travel.

Despite being the "first" to the South Pole, the Norwegian leader was ostracized for his "ungentlemanly" and unsportsman-like behavior, particularly in not publicly announcing their intentions to the world or the British expedition.

The "race to the South Pole" is an example of experience and conniving to achieve a goal, not pacing. There is no way to know in this case, had both teams gone in with equal experience, equipment, and purpose, whether a 100%-every-day or paced progress would have won the day.

(I still think rest is extremely important and hustle culture is self-sabotaging, but there must be better examples to use. Regardless, I've ordered Greg's book, and I'm looking forward to reading it!)

[harryfox]

I left my job 2 months ago in order to start learning things and start my own business and yesterday I just realised I am doing nothing but work, I never look after myself, I never relax or anything.

This video came at a perfect time. It has just changed my whole perspective on being productive, I am literally smiling for the first time in 2 months. Thank you for this video!

[alyonsogobuchi]

oh wow. When I saw you including a writer in your video I thought "Great, it's gonna be a sponsorship video with no information without any ad purposes." I am glad I was so wrong. That guy is certainly worth listening to and noting. Thank you!

[jakehettinger]

Greg's book is incredible. I got it because of Matt's video on the books he had read the past year and I am now on my third read of it. Thank you Matt and thank you Greg!

[Paige-zmmc]

I love that you have released so many productivity videos amidst college finals! I need all of them

[eduardojuarezsanchez]

Been a while, but I'm happy I took this morning to get back to your channel Matt. I've been living by this concept for the past 8 months now, and I've seen vast improvements in physical health, wealth, and overall stress management. Thank you for your work. I know this will help many people for decades to come.

[ojsfctj]

Honestly this is the type of video that I want to rewatch now and again just to give me a big reminder

[Belcam]

This is one of the most helpful videos I've ever watched from you. I am writing that comment from a point of exhaustion as I am trying to resume work having totally burned out 6 months ago