The Productivity Project 

Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy 

Chris Bailey 
 

Book Overview from the Publisher 

A  fresh,  personal,  and  entertaining  exploration  of  a  topic  that  concerns  all  of  us:  how  to  be  more 
productive at work and in every facet of our lives. 
  
Chris  Bailey  turned  down  lucrative  job  offers  to  pursue  a  lifelong  dream—to  spend  a  year  performing  a 
deep  dive  experiment  into the pursuit of productivity, a subject he had been enamored with since he was 
a  teenager.  After  obtaining  his  business  degree,  he  created  a  blog  to  chronicle  a  year-long  series  of 
productivity  experiments  he  conducted  on  himself,  where  he  also  continued  his research and interviews 
with  some  of  the  world’s  foremost  experts, from Charles Duhigg to David Allen. Among the experiments 
that  he  tackled:  Bailey  went  several  weeks  with  getting  by  on  little  to  no  sleep;  he  cut  out  caffeine  and 
sugar;  he  lived  in  total  isolation  for  10  days;  he  used  his  smartphone  for  just  an  hour  a  day  for  three 
months;  he  gained  ten  pounds  of  muscle  mass;  he  stretched  his  work  week  to  90  hours;  a  late  riser, he 
got  up  at  5:30  every  morning  for  three  months—all  the  while  monitoring  the  impact  of  his  experiments 
on the quality and quantity of his work.  
  
The  Productivity Project​—and the lessons Chris learned—are the result of that year-long journey. Among 
the counterintuitive insights Chris Bailey will teach you:  
·  slowing down to work more deliberately; 
·  shrinking or eliminating the unimportant;  
·  the rule of three;  
·  striving for imperfection;  
·  scheduling​ less​ time for important tasks;  
·  the 20 second rule to distract yourself from the inevitable distractions;  
·  and the concept of ​productive​ procrastination. 
In  an  eye-opening  and  thoroughly  engaging  read,  Bailey  offers  a  treasure  trove  of  insights  and  over  25 
best practices that will help you accomplish more. 
 

KEY POINTS COVERED IN THIS SUMMARY: 

1. 3 primary ingredients of productivity ​- The elements at play that 
determine your work output 
2. Brain biology behind procrastination -​ What goes on in the brain 
when you are about to do a task and how you can beat 
procrastination 

www.2000books.com 
 3. Attention space -​ Ways to create more attention space in order to 
increase your output 
4. Reasons to be more productive ​- Find out your “why” in order to 
know your “how” 
5. Discovering your highest-impact tasks -​ How to identify which of 
your tasks to devote most of your focus on 
6. What, when, where, how -​ A simple strategy to get you doing your 
important tasks 
7. Why we should work less -​ Why working less is actually possible, 
and better 
8. Empty your mind ​- Why you should empty your mind and how you 
can do it in simple ways 

1) 3 Primary Ingredients of Productivity 

Common  Misconception:  People think that productivity is about how much time they can work. 
They  want  to  get  more  time  and  squeeze  more  of  it  out  of  their  schedule  for  work  and 
important matters. 
 
Productivity = TIME  
 
True Productivity:  
 
True Productivity = TIME * ATTENTION * ENERGY 
  
● Not  having  high  enough  ATTENTION  or  ENERGY  level  will  result  in  minimal  work 
output. TIME alone will not give the desired result. 
● Work output is a function of the following equation:  
 
Work ​OUTPUT​ = T
​ IME​ put into task X A
​ TTENTION​ one brings X ​ ENERGY ​one brings 
 
● Increasing  the  levels  of  ​Attention  and/or  ​Energy  increases  the  overall  ​Output  even  if 
Time​ is kept constant. In that sense, a lot of work is still done in limited time.  
 
Attention:​ Be aware of the quality of focus and concentration you are bringing. 
 
Energy:​ Find ways to improve your energy levels (Food, Exercise, Meditation, Breathing, etc.) 

www.2000books.com 
 
Related Books: 
● The Power of Full Engagement - Tony Schwartz & Jim Loehr  
● The Way You are Working is Not Working - Tony Schwartz 
 

2) Brain Biology behind Procrastination 

 
There  is  a  constant  battle  going  on  between  the  2  sides  of  the  brain.  Let’s  say  you  want  to 
workout.  
● There’s a part of you that says, “I should workout.”  
● But then another part of you says, “Just chill out... Watch some TV... Relax.” 

The 2 Sides of the Brain 

 
1. Limbic System  
● the emotion center of the brain 
● seeks instant gratification 
● takes things easy  
● pleasure center 
● mostly the part running our autopilot behavior 
 
When deciding to workout, this is the part that of the brain that tells you to take it easy. 
 
2. Prefrontal Cortex  
● the executive function center of the brain 
● thinks about long-term goals 
● thinks about complex tasks that need to be done 
 
When deciding to workout, this is the part that tells you to go do it. 
 

How to Beat Procrastination 

 
Fire up your prefrontal cortex through the following ways: 
 
1. List the cost of not doing the tasks.  
Example:​ List the cost of not working out.  
 

www.2000books.com 
 2. List the benefits of doing the task.  
Example:​ List the benefits of working out.  
 
3. Just get started.  
● Take  the  smallest  possible  step.  Just  do  a  small  portion  of  the  task  which,  for 
example,  might  take  30  seconds.  Once momentum is gained, you would want to 
do more of the task.  
● Just  do  it  for 1 minute. Set a timer and work on the task for 1 minute and then let 
it go if you still don't feel like it. You will probably continue on the task after doing 
it for 1 minute.   
 
4. Think of your future self and ask:  
● What  would  my  future  self  want?  (Would  it  want  me  to  work  out  or  would  it 
want me to just chill out and relax and not do anything?) 
 
5. Ask: Why does this really matter to me in the long-term?   
 
You  will  find  that  a  lot  of  the  things  in  support  of  what  the  prefrontal  cortex  is  trying to do are 
against  what  the  limbic  system  is  trying  to  make  you  do.  So  realize  that  there  is  this  constant 
battle inside your brain between its two sides and you have to win the battle.  
 
Related Books: 
●  

3) Attention Space 
 
Attention  Space  -  the  total  amount  of  thinking  and  processing  space  your  brain  has  at  any 
given time 
 
You could potentially be using it for all sorts of things, such as: 
● Doing some work 
● Checking your social media account 
● Writing and sending emails 
● Thinking about your vacation 
● Talking to friends 
● Thinking about tasks you need to do after work 
 
In the midst of all these things, you are trying to get some work done. 
 
SCENARIO: 
 

www.2000books.com 
Person 1​ - Thinks and does all sort of things for 1 hour  
● Important Work 
● Social Media  
● Emails 
● Phone calls 
● Colleagues 
● Websites 
 
Person 2​ - Spends all thinking space and memory on 1 thing for 1 hour 
● Important Work   
   
Who is going to do a better job? 
 
Person 2 will obviously be a lot m
​ ore productive​ and w​ ill do a much better​ j​ ob ​than Person 1. 
 

How  to  have  more  attention  space  available  to  us  in  order  to  be 
more productive: 
 
We  have  to  create  space  in  our  brain.  The  more  empty  space  we  create  in  our brains, 
the calmer we feel and the cleaner our focus is in those moments.  
 
Once we have created attention space, we can do our highest quality work.  
 
Don’t  let  you  attention  be  hijacked.  When  it  gets  constantly  hijacked,  it can take up to 
25  minutes  to  regain  focus  and  energy  after  distraction.  Anytime  we  give  attention  to 
anything,  that  thing  leaves  a  ​residue  in  our  brains  (an  idea  also  discussed  in  the  book 
Deep Work​ by Cal Newport). Attention hijackers come in many forms such as: 
● Videos 
● People walking into your office 
● Social media distractions 
● E-mail notifications, etc. 

How to create attention space 

 
Shut out all external stimulation when working on your most valuable activities.  
● Shut off all your social media notifications. 
● Shut off even your Wi-Fi connection at times. 
● Close your office door if you have to so nobody walks in.  
● Shut off your email program. 

www.2000books.com 
 ● Stop  thinking  about  everything  else  and  say,  “This  is  the  only  thing  I’m  going to 
work on.” 
 
Notice  the  clarity  of  thought  you  have  when  you  are  in  the  shower,  or  when  you’re  walking or 
running, or during meditation.  
 
When the mind is completely empty, attention space is created. 
  
A  reduced  attention  space,  therefore,  is  just  one  that’s  constantly  bombarded with information 
from the outside world like: ​social media​, ​TV​, t​ he internet​ and j​ unk information,​ etc. 
 

Keep Distractions 20 Seconds Away 

 
A  simple  method  I  have  found  very  useful  is  from  the  book  ​The  20-Second  Rule​,  which  says: 
just keep distractions at least 20 seconds away.  
 
Remember:  Your  output  is  a  function  of  the  attention  space  you  bring  to  any  task.  Make  sure 
you're constantly aware of the attention space you're giving yourself. 
 
Related Books: 
● The 20-Second Rule​ - Shawn Anchor 
● Deep Work​ - Cal Newport 
 

4) Reasons to Be More Productive 

 
When  you  find  reasons  to  be  more  productive,  you  automatically  find  ways  to  be  more 
productive. Finding specific reasons why you need to be more productive is important.  
 
If you can’t find them, here are 3 questions you can ask yourself to help you find those reasons.  
 
1. If  I  had  2  more  hours  of leisure time available to myself every single day, what would 
I  do?  If  you  ask  yourself  this  question,  you  might  be  surprised  with the kind of answers 
you  get  and  how  much  motivation  you have during your workday to get your stuff done 
or to be more productive.  
2. Why  does  this  matter  to  me?  Why  is  goal  this  important?  Why  am  I  trying  to 
accomplish  this  goal?  The  motivation  factor  for  yourself  will  kick  in  once  you ask these 
questions. 

www.2000books.com 
 3. On my deathbed, would I regret doing more or less of this? A “YES” answer should tell 
you  to  avoid  or  stop  doing  it.  But  if  you find this is your life's work, a valuable activity or 
an important work, then you should do more of it. Avoid procrastinating on it.  
 
As Tony Robbins says, ​when you have a Big WHY for anything, the HOW is easy. 
 
So having big reasons for doing something makes the “how to do it” much easier. 
 
Related Books: 
●  
 

5) Discovering Your Highest-Impact Tasks 

 
Your  highest  impact  tasks  are  your  most  valuable  activities.  These  are  the  most  important 
things you can do in your career, in your business, in your venture, whatever it might be.  
 
EXAMPLE:​ If you are an artist, then painting or drawing might be your most valuable activity.  
 
Therefore,  understand  what  the  80/20  breakup  of  your  tasks  is.  This  means  finding  out  the 
80%  of  the  value  you  create.  What  you'll usually find is that the 80% value you create is within 
the Top 3 tasks you do any given day.  

How to Identify Your Highest Impact Tasks 

 
Sometimes  it’s  difficult  to  understand  what  our  highest-impact  tasks  are  because  we  are 
constantly  doing  things  and  we  never  really  step  back  to  realize  what  is  important.  To  drill 
down on what your highest impact tasks -- 
 
1. Make a list of everything you do on any given day.  
2. Referring  to  the  list,  ask  yourself:  “If  I  could  do  just  1  thing  from  this  long  list  of  things, 
what would it be?” 
3. Repeat step 2 for 2 more tasks. 
 
This  process  results  in  a  distilled-down  version  of  your  3  highest  impact  tasks  that  would  add 
the most value to you. These are the things you need to focus all of your energy on.  
 
Remember:  Productivity  is  ​OUTPUT  =  ​TIME  x  ​ATTENTION  x  ​ENERGY​.  Given  that  we  only 
have  so  much  attention,  energy  and  time,  we  should  only  give  it  to tasks that have the highest 
leverage and that give us the highest value. 

www.2000books.com 
 
Related Books: 
 
The  following  books  will  help  you  understand  what's  important,  what  the  highest-impact 
activity  for  you  is,  and  how  to  work  on  those  activities  single-mindedly  rather  than  spraying 
your attention all over the place. 
  
● 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People​ - Stephen Covey 
● 4-Hour Work Week​ - Tim Ferriss 
● Eat That Frog​ - Brian Tracy 
 

6) What, When, Where, How  

 
If you want to get your most important work done -- 
 
● Make a list of the 3 most important tasks you want to get done today.  
● For each of them, ask the following:  
○ WHEN​ will you do that task?  
○ WHERE​ will you do that task?  
■ Example: office, home office, coffee shop 
○ HOW​ will you do that task?  
 
When  you  identify  these  things,  you  have  given  very  clear  direction to your brain as to what to 
do  next.  This  kind  of  planning  forces  you  to  take  action  because  it  anchors  your  brain with the 
what, when, where, how​ details. Those anchors fire up when the time or the place occurs.  
 

7) Why We Should Work Less  

 
Let’s make a case for something as counterintuitive as working less.  
 
Again, the productivity equation is as simple as: 
 
OUTPUT​ = T
​ IME​ x ​ATTENTION​ x ​ ENERGY  
 
When we ​control the amount of ​TIME we have but want to ​increase our ​OUTPUT​, what we can 
only do is ​increase​ the A
​ TTENTION​ and the E
​ NERGY.  
 

www.2000books.com 
This  creates  structure  because  once  we  create  boundaries  on  our  own  time, now we know we 
need to bring better attention and energy to the task at hand. 
 
We  need  to  learn  how  to  invest  more  attention  and  energy  on a task. If the output remains the 
same,  how  can  we  spend  more  attention  and  more  energy  in  the  same  timeframe  to  get  the 
results we want? 
 
The  more  you  can  keep  your  time constant, the more you can play with attention and energy to 
get them to a higher and higher level.  
 
The ​lesser​ ​ATTENTION​ we put in a task, the ​more​ T ​ IME​ it will take to complete a task. 
 
We should be hyperfocused on a task for a limited period of time  
rather than giving it a lot of time with very limited attention.  
 
Studies  show  that  working  more  than  ​40  hours/week  does  not  necessarily  lead  to  higher 
production  because  at  that  point  we  don't  have  the  same  level  of  intensity.  We  don't have the 
same attention space or energy space to produce high quality work.   
 
Think about the possibility of working less. 
 
Related Books: 
● The 4-Hour Workweek​ by Tim Ferris 
● The 80/20 Principle​ by Richard Koch 

8) Empty Your Mind 

 
Again,  in  order  to  do  our  most  important  work  or  our  highest  value  tasks,  we  must  create 
attention space. Otherwise, we are subjecting ourselves to death by a thousand paper cuts.  

The mind is not for storage 

 
One  of  the  fundamental  ways  to  create  attention  space  is  to  ​empty  our  mind.  ​Our  mind is not 
designed for storage or for keeping things in our brain.  

Mind dump everything 

 
We  need  to  dump  everything  from  our  brain  onto  some  ​external  brain  (e.g.,  a  notepad, 
Evernote, etc.) 

www.2000books.com 
  
1. Write down everything that's weighing on your mind right now.  
2. For each of the item in (1), write down the clear, specific next step you need to take. 
3. Put the list on your calendar and process it 2-3 times a week. 
 
This  exercise  gives  you  a  sense  of  calm  and  creates  attention  space  for  you.  It  dumps  all  the 
things  you  are  thinking  about  (e.g.  birthdays,  vacation, other celebrations, people in your life, or 
any  other  thing  you  need  to  do)  in  an  external  brain.  This leaves you free to think about what's 
important in the moment. Now, you are fully engaged.  

Capture everything 
 
It  is  important  for  us  to  capture  everything  that's  floating  around  in  our  brain  that's  taking  up 
attention space so that we can have an empty mind that’s ready to attack what's in front of us. 
 
Related Books: 
● Getting Things Done​ - David Allen 
 
 
 
 

www.2000books.com