Being productive is more than just keeping busy. From managing your time to checking things off your to-do list, to finally feeling accomplished at the end of the day, productivity is a process that takes diligence, discipline and tools to aggregate a seamless transition from feeling busy to feeling empowered – and in control. If you google the term ‘productivity’, you might run across a new movement detailing the lost art of taking time to embrace and harmonize the ebbs and flows of work and home life, known as slow productivity. 

Taken from the 1980s, the concept of slow productivity comes from the key ideas found in the international Slow Food movement geared against the fast-paced culture of fast food and instead, prioritizing the present by fostering connections with people and the environment. Growing from this idea, slow productivity pushes against today’s current quick, individualized and accelerated culture, and instead looks at work from a philosophical perspective. 

Coined by Dr. Cal Newport, a writer and professor of computer science at Georgetown University, slow productivity looks at accomplishment from the viewpoint of work being naturally completed with your lifestyle, instead of running the proverbial “rat race” toward finishing the task as quickly as possible. Eliminating the obsession with needing to be first or clicking ‘done’ on your growing to-do list, slow productivity encourages its adopters to allow themselves to do fewer things, work at their own pace and focus on the learning instead of simply completing. And while this concept goes against the grain of efficient working or accelerated learning, slow productivity seeks to reduce burnout, digital distractions and work-related stress which leads to physical, mental and emotional turmoil – and is eager to bring new adopters into it. In fact, according to studies, burnout is often the main driver for people turning to this new work-life balance. Frequently referred to as the silent epidemic, burnout is seen as both a people killer and a career killer with 43% of employees reporting burnout in 2022 and 62% in 2023. 

Focused on the individual more than the work, the benefits of incorporating slow productivity into your everyday life can be invigorating. Interested in seeing how you can start slowing down and harmonizing your work and life balance? Here are a few tips. 

1. Breathe and give yourself permission to pause – Allowing yourself to not be overloaded can be difficult. From enrolling in a course to expand your career skills to joining a club or activity, to always needing to be at the latest and greatest event, getting overloaded is so easy to do. That’s why the hard part of incorporating slow productivity is saying ‘no,’ and sticking to what you need – and want – to do rather than trying to do everything. Part of slow productivity’s mantra is to bring you even greater results and happiness by letting yourself pause, appreciate the moment or decline an activity to better support your mental health. 
2. Set your boundaries – Part of growing is learning what you can do, and what you can’t. That’s why creating your boundaries means more than just saying ‘no’ but really about learning what to say ‘yes’ to and why. Like fences, boundaries protect a person’s physical or mental space to help them feel safe. And while research has shown that people with healthy, flexible boundaries develop into a distinct person of their own, establishing boundaries allows you to learn other skills like self-control and self-esteem. This can start by turning off unnecessary notifications, having a shut-down routine, or even considering posting an email/Slack message to let others know you need to be in ‘deep work’ mode.
3. Learn what ‘deep work’ is really about – Associated with slow productivity, deep work is all about carving out specific timeframes to focus on the task at hand with little to no distractions. Instead of juggling tasks, responding to emails or checking your phone for the latest Slack notification, deep work refers to maintaining an emphasis on working with purpose. In many ways, you’d be surprised at how much work you can complete without distractions from the outside. And ‘deep work’ goes beyond just giving your mind space to make new connections, it also allows you to remember and remain in tune with the work that’s important to you. 
4. Focus on your growth more than your speed – Like being on a treadmill, it’s really easy to think faster is better without even realizing you haven’t moved at all. Through slow productivity, you are challenged to redirect yourself on your growth (i.e. quality) rather than your efficiency (i.e. quantity). This can look like avoiding watching the clock and setting a timer for an hour at a time to see the progression of your work or even journaling how you felt about your workload at the end of the day. By focusing on how you’re doing versus what you’re doing, you might be able to see how you can synergize your pace with your load; giving you a deeper outlook on yourself as an employee and an individual. 

Making the shift is not easy – but it’s worth it. Thinking about your work as a valuable craft instead of a mundane task to check off can be extremely rewarding. Slow productivity is leading to better focus and higher-quality outcomes, so why don’t you try it for yourself?

If you’re interested in gaining more information about how ACU Online students manage their time and work-life balance, there’s no time like the present to reach out to our admission advisors or read about the student experience today!