Harvard Business Review Guides Ultimate Boxed Set (16 Books)

Chapter 26

Sustaining Your Productivity System

by Alexandra Samuel

A productivity system is like any other faith: It works for as long as you continue to believe in it. Let a hint of skepticism creep in—about the discipline required, the rewards promised, or the potential superiority of other ideologies—and the threat of disorder quickly returns.

If you can accept that your system is a work in progress, it’s a lot easier to keep that threat at bay. Here are some tips for sustaining your productivity system:

1. Focus on outcomes. Many productivity methodologies are so specific about their recommended processes that your zeal for maintaining your folders, sorting your communications, or acquiring snazzy storage bins can easily eclipse the problems ...