Replace These 3 ‘Productivity Imposters’ With Habits That Will Actually Make A Difference

Don’t be fooled by the promise of efficiency — there’s always another way to get things done

Rebecca Pendleton
5 min readJul 4, 2022
Image from Storytale.io

‘Productivity Imposters’, as I like to call them, are activities that on the surface seem to be helping our lives become more efficient and content, but in reality can cause the opposite effect.

Often, these trendy productivity tips lead to stress and panic when they fail. When the world’s most successful people are claiming certain methods are the keys to success, it’s easy to feel disheartened if they don’t work for you.

It’s important to note that the key to productivity is choosing the tools and techniques that work for you – so if the below are working for you – keep going!

But if like me, you’ve found that some of the most-touted silver bullets of productivity leave you flailing, then keep reading.

1. Replace ‘Inbox Zero’ with ‘clean as you go’

The whole inbox zero concept sounds like paradise. Clean, empty folders. The phrase ‘You’re all caught up.’ Delicious simplicity at its finest.

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Rebecca Pendleton
Rebecca Pendleton

Written by Rebecca Pendleton

Product Manager & Aspiring Writer / Coach. I love self-development, service design & stationery. Sober but not preachy.

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