The Productivity Project: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of The Productivity Project, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
A year of testing productivity advice
After university, Bailey spent a year running productivity experiments on himself, from meditating for hours to living in isolation.
He wanted to find out which techniques really work, rather than simply repeating popular advice.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Productivity needs time, attention and energy
Bailey concludes that productivity rests on three ingredients: managing time, attention and energy.
Having lots of time is useless if you cannot focus or are too tired, so all three must be looked after together.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
Productivity is about accomplishing what matters
Bailey defines productivity as how much you accomplish, not how busy you are.
He suggests asking what you want to achieve, then judging your days by progress towards those aims, not by hours worked.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
Choose three things each day
Bailey's Rule of 3 suggests choosing three things you want to accomplish each day and three each week.
This small list keeps attention on important outcomes instead of being lost in many small tasks.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
Find your biological prime time
By tracking his energy every hour for weeks, Bailey identified the times he naturally felt most alert.
He calls this your biological prime time and suggests scheduling your most important work during it.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Identify what triggers procrastination
Bailey lists task features that make us procrastinate, such as being boring, frustrating, difficult, unstructured, lacking meaning or lacking reward.
Spotting which features a task has suggests how to make it more appealing.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
Batch low-value tasks together
Bailey recommends a maintenance day: grouping small chores like errands, cleaning and admin into one block each week.
This frees other days for high-return activities that make the biggest difference.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
Train your attention like a muscle
Bailey found that focus can be strengthened through practice, such as meditation and working on one thing at a time.
Reducing distractions and making time to rest help attention become stronger over time.
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