Strategy vs. Productivity: Choose the Right Path

Efficiency is about doing what you’re already doing, just better. It’s squeezing more out of the same path. This short-term thinking distracts from what really matters: the right strategy.

Strategy means seeing the bigger picture. It’s about deciding what to do, not just how to do it. Those who focus only on productivity can end up busy but lack true purpose.

Productivity gurus promise that the right system will give you everything - big money, perfect health, and free time.

However, maximizing efficiency on the wrong path won’t lead to fulfillment.

It’s important to ask yourself tough questions: Are you on a path that excites you or just one that’s comfortable? Are your efforts making real progress or just keeping you busy?

Shift Your Focus to Strategy

To break free from the productivity trap, shift your focus to strategy:

• Stop Praising Busyness: Being busy doesn’t always mean making progress. More output doesn’t always equal more value.

• Make Time for Deep Thinking: Set aside moments for reflection. Take walks without distractions. Let your mind explore beyond the obvious.

• Seek Wisdom, Not Just Tips: Instead of chasing productivity hacks, learn from those who’ve made a real impact. Study their choices and philosophies.

As Robert Greene suggests, strategy is an art that requires a new way of thinking. He advises approaching life like a general.

To craft a good strategy:

• Elevate yourself above the battlefield: focus on long-term objectives, it is much easier to decide when to fight and when to walk away.

• Calculate several moves ahead toward your goal. Avoid tactical hell (constantly reacting to other people's moves). Back out temporarily. Go for a walk. Embrace solitude

• Control the entire chessboard: Calmly plot your moves in advance seeing the entire chessboard, then move step by step.

• Place yourself in Shih: Give yourself options. Position yourself to be able to do A, B, or C depending on the circumstances. Shih is a position of potential force ( Like traps ready to be released on command). Rid yourself of the illusion that strategy is a series of steps to be followed toward a goal.

• Think of the unintended consequences: Any action sets off a limitless chain of reactions. It is never simple as A leads to B. B will lead to C, to D, and beyond. Make your thinking more consequential - obvious negative consequences are often the difference between success and disaster. Especially when you focus on efficiency.

Remember, the path to fulfillment isn’t about working harder but working smarter.

Strategy may not be as flashy as the latest productivity tool, but it’s more liberating.

It’s the key to building a life that truly feels like your own.

Let’s make strategy your new focus.