Information overdose is unproductive.

We aren't lacking information today. It's quite the opposite. We have too much information it's debilitating. That's what Barry Schwartz talks about in The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less. Too much choice is not always a good thing.

Busy people are, by definition, flooded with choice.

It can result in you being unproductive. It feels great and seems like you're doing a lot. But that appearance is misleading. We tend to conflate "busy-ness" with "productivity."

This mindset will lead us down a path of unproductivity.

Sometimes you need to just sit down and think about nothing.

There's a multi-billion dollar industry devoted entirely to mindfulness and mediation. For good reason too. We all need to give our brains some time to digest the thoughts that are already floating around in there.

Having time with existing thoughts (and not entertaining the constant flow of new ones) allows for higher quality, deep thinking.

3 ways of increasing mindfulness.

Go for a walk. Do it without technology. I usually walk with earphones and my phone, listening to a podcast. I can't help but think I'm killing two birds with one stone. I say this because I know, first-hand, how weird it can feel to walk without technology. The few times I've done it (I'm getting better at it), I've experienced much more clarity and focus around projects at work or at home.
Sit quietly at your desk, with closed eyes. Doing nothing. This is tough to do at your desk, but we'll take what we can get. It's tough because you associate your location with unlimited flows of info coming at you. Sit quietly for just 5 minutes. Everyone can do that.
Pay attention to ONLY the task in front of you. Tough to do with the endless streams of notification bells. As quantity (multi-tasking) increases, quality decreases. The opposite is also true. Do tasks, one by one. Not at the same time. Finish each task with quality and move on to the next task on the list.

This is one of the few instances where we can truthfully say "doing nothing (or fewer things) is more productive that doing something."

Unlocking Peak Performance: Essential Mindfulness and Stress Management Techniques for the Busiest People

What will you write today?