Are You Stuck in the Cycle of Pseudo-Productivity?
One of my favourite lessons from Cal Newport’s book Slow Productivity is the concept of pseudo-productivity. He defines it as, “the use of visible activity as the primary means of approximating actual productive effort.”
Sound familiar? This could look like:
Responding immediately to emails.
Being constantly available on Slack or Teams.
Feeling “productive” because you’re busy all the time.
But here’s the problem:
When we prioritise “busy work,” we push aside our most meaningful projects. Worse still, we train those around us to expect immediate responses, which rewards the behaviour and creates even more work.
Then there’s the constant context switching—switching from Teams to email, back to a project, and then to another email—which drains us mentally. It’s exhausting and unsustainable.
So, what’s the antidote? According to Newport, it’s embracing slow productivity, and one element of this is working on fewer things at once.
This might mean:
Checking and replying to emails during set times rather than all day.
Blocking out calendar time for deep work—and sharing it with your manager if needed.
Politely declining new tasks until you have capacity, or asking your manager to clarify priorities.
By focusing on fewer tasks, you reduce context switching, get more done, and protect your energy.
I know this can feel challenging. Workplaces often value busyness over actual productivity. But you might have more control over your workload than you realise.
If you’ve experimented with these strategies, I’d love to hear how it’s going. Or, if you’re feeling stuck, what’s one small change you could make to start shifting towards slow productivity today?
