When we started evaluating the standard productivity advice, we found a lot of it unhelpful, unrealistic, and not necessarily applicable for creative, anxious, distracted people like ourselves.

Following the traditional methods left us feeling overwhelmed, stuck in burnout, and never moving closer to our goals… so we decided to take a completely different approach.

Through years of trial and error, we discovered an entirely new world where productivity actually makes us feel good, not even more like sh*t.

We boiled our findings down to 11 fundamental building blocks that make up our modern take on productivity. We’ve found that by prioritizing these these basics, we can all rebuild our relationship to getting things done — one that doesn’t induce panic, overwhelm, and chronic burnout.

Spacetime’s 11 Productivity Principles

1. One thing at a time

If you’re looking to feel calm, controlled, focused, and dialed in — this is the foundation of it all. With all the constant demands for our attention, it seems like multitasking is the only way to handle it all. Counterintuitively, the more you try to do at once, the more stressed and overwhelmed you’ll feel. While it can seem like multitasking is the only way to keep up with it all, it’s actually a trap. Doing one thing at a time is a subtle revolution that will get you miles ahead of where you are now.

2. Productivity is morally neutral

Productivity is a means to an end, not the end itself. Having a more productive day doesn’t make you good, just as being less productive doesn’t make you bad. Being busy doesn’t make you more important, it just makes you busy. By detaching morality from productivity, it becomes easier to detach ego from productive output.

3. Attention is a valuable resource — use it wisely

There have never been more demands on our attention than this moment in history. We give away our attention frivolously and wonder why we feel so awful, rather than directing it what really matters to us. When everything else feels like it’s out of your control, remember that you always have the final say over where your attention goes.

4. Cut yourself some slack

There are enough forces in our lives highlighting all the ways that we’re not doing enough — don’t be one of them yourself. Nobody benefits from you having unrealistic expectations, feeling constant disappointment in your performance, and never stopping to celebrate what you’ve done. Lower the bar a little bit and feel what it’s like to see yourself win.

5. Good Work > Hard Work

Challenge the belief that productivity is all about clocking hours. You don't need to grind forever in order for something to be good; sometimes, just one hour of deep focus can do wonders for your project. One good hour will always feel better than 5 stressed and scattered ones. You don't have to drain yourself to feel worthy of celebration.

6. When you take your time, you have more of it

Rushing through every part of your day makes you feel like time moves quickly, but slowing down makes it feel like there’s more time in the day. If you’ve ever felt like your life is moving faster than you can handle, take your time. Learning to slow down in the moments you feel most busy and chaotic will help you move through it more effortlessly. The US Navy SEALs have a saying that reminds them that going slow is an effective strategy to go far in the long run — Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

7. Anticipate resistance & plan for procrastination

Continually feeling surprised and disappointed by resistance is an act of self-sabotage. Of course you don’t want to do something that feels new, unclear, intimidating, etc. Resistance is normal, not a unique experience that only you suffer from. Your “procrastination problem” isn’t some kind of personal failing — if it’s what usually happens, that means it’s reliable data. When we learn to anticipated, accept, and plan for resistance and procrastination, we can shift the attention away from berating ourselves and redirect it toward a creative solution instead.

8. Flow state quiets the inner critic

The magic of flow is that it quiets the inner voice that trolls you, but it might take some time to get there (see no. 7, anticipating resistance). When you carve out time to put distractions out of sight and lock into a flow state, you become so absorbed in the activity that your brain redirects attention away from self-doubt and self-criticism. Flow state allows you to have a pleasant experience regardless of the task, and the inner critic is allergic to fun. In flow state, you create more actively, confidently, and connect with the sense of accomplishment.

9. Deep Work, Deep Chill, Repeat

While being “always on” doesn’t necessarily make you more productive, it certainly leads to burnout. Instead of the sleep-when-you-die mentality, try a more balanced approach: immerse yourself fully in work, then transition to a complete state of rest. Keeping your brain fully focused or fully at rest minimizes the periods of half-attention that slowly drain you in the long run. Nobody questions the fact that you need rest after a physically exhausting experience, and the same is true for our brains.

10. Catch yourself doing something right

Throughout every day, there are micro-moments where you have the opportunity to give yourself the high five that nobody else is giving you. Being a friend to yourself in seemingly inconsequential moments snowballs, and before you know it, your inner critic will have much less to say. When you become the president of your own fan club, the external validation starts to matter less.

11. It’s not that deep

At the end of the day, if you’re not performing heart surgery, it’s probably not that deep. If you’ve ever spun yourself into a ball of stress only to turn in the report that your boss doesn’t even look at it, you’ll know what we mean. Take a deep breath, zoom out. Remember that work is only one part of your life… and work will always recover.