<aside> ↙️ Hi, Hello! My name is Sarah - the writer behind redgregory.com.
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When I began writing technical tutorials on Notion in 2019 the first emails I received were almost solely about using Notion to boost productivity. Fair. Notion is a productivity app. For users who believe an app alone will make you productive. Simply, it will not. Even the best systems you can build in Notion aren't guaranteed to improve productivity.
I remember one conversation in particular from a reader who expressed frustration after reading a litany of self-help books and essays from systems thinkers only to be left exhausted and more unproductive. Notion looked like a promising app that may fill in the gaps in their system.
Those gaps, of course, were not a result of a poor system but their energy levels. In some ways a good workflow and smart system will do wonders, but adjusting frame of mind and environment to optimize energy is more important.
Regarding systems exhaustion as a result of productivity influencers pushing self-help content, it's important to understand that these productivity giants aren't as perfect as they portray.
Their systems aren't perfect either.
Remember that one successful person's journey is not the model of success. Success is personal. Following a famous author's step-by-step guide to becoming a New York Time's bestseller isn't a fast pass to the same lifestyle as the bestselling author.
With that being said, I like to balance a hybrid mindset of personal trial and error (self-learning) and studying the mistakes/successes from those in positions I aspire to.
Productivity, or the journey to achieving small successes, ebbs and flows. Expect decline in production and re-growth to occur frequently. We are not machines. No amount of discipline or brain hacks will change this.
In short, relax, keep things simple, focus on what is achievable today and tomorrow, don't chase perfection, and remember that you are a person, not a machine.
https://twitter.com/RedGregory1/status/1373973069597966336
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