MSS #119: The Hidden Rulebook of Productivity – What No One Told You

MSS #119: The Hidden Rulebook of Productivity – What No One Told You

19 Apr, 2025

🕒Read time: 3.4 minutes

🚀 In a hurry? Jump to "Rewrite Your Own Productivity Rules" for a reduced reading time of 1.5 minutes.

You work hard.

But does it ever feel like no matter how much effort you put in; you’re just treading water?

That’s because most of us are unknowingly following invisible rules about work and productivity—rules that don’t actually help us.

Somewhere along the way, you might have picked up ‘rules’ like:
🔹 The longer I work, the more productive I am.
🔹 If I don’t answer emails immediately, I’m falling behind.
🔹 I have to say yes to every request to be a team player.

But what if these rules are actually sabotaging your progress?

Let’s uncover the hidden rules that hold us back—and replace them with ones that actually work.

3 Hidden rules operating in the background

The 3 rules I will share in a minute will be very familiar, once you notice them and ‘re-code’ them your productivity will improve.

To recode them,

1. Be aware (A)

2. Choose the alternative rule (C)

3. Keep repeating to embed (E)

I call my process ACE.

Let’s get into the three rules now.

Hidden Rule #1: "Hard work = success."

❌ The Problem:
We’ve been taught that effort alone guarantees results.

But not all tasks are created equal—some move the needle others just drain time.

✅ New Rule: The right work at the right time = success.
Smart productivity is about prioritisation, not exhaustion.

The most successful people don’t work the hardest; they focus on what matters most.

💡 Try this: Before you start your day, highlight three tasks that will make the biggest impact.

If you only accomplished those three things, would it still be a productive day?

You know the answer is yes, if you are truly working on the correct tasks.

Hidden Rule #2: "Busy means productive."

❌ The Problem:
Constant motion feels like progress—but without time to think and reflect, we stay stuck in a cycle of action without direction.

✅ New Rule: Thinking time is just as valuable as doing time.
Deep work, creative breakthroughs and strategic decisions don’t happen when we’re rushing from one task to the next.

They happen in the spaces in between.

💡 Try this: Block 20 minutes of "thinking time" into your calendar daily. Use it to step back, assess priorities and refine your approach.

Protect this space as it’s highly valuable.

Hidden Rule #3: "Multitasking gets more done."

❌ The Problem:
The brain isn’t built for multitasking.

In fact multitasking is a myth, the conscious mind can only work on one thing at a time.

Often we multitask, switch rapidly between tasks.

Instead of being efficient, task-switching actually burns more energy and reduces focus.

Context switching, is the act of switching from one thing to another and loses us time, the big the context switch the longer it takes to get back into it properly.

✅ New Rule: Single-tasking wins.
Productivity skyrockets when we give full attention to one thing at a time.

Studies show that focused work improves accuracy, efficiency and reduces mental fatigue.

💡 Try this: Use the "Tab Rule"—never have more than three browser tabs open at once. Apply this to your mind’s browser and your lap tops browser equally.

This forces you to complete one task before jumping to another.

Rewrite Your Own Productivity Rules

Take a moment to reflect:
📝 What ‘rules’ about work have you been following without question?
🔍 Are they helping you—or holding you back?

💡 Action Step: Write down one outdated productivity rule you’ve been following and replace it with a smarter alternative.

What’s one rule about productivity you’ve changed in your own career? Reply and let me know! 🚀

Summary

Most of us are operating under outdated productivity rules that drain time and energy.

By questioning these hidden rules, we can work smarter—not harder.

🔹 Prioritisation beats effort. The right work matters more than more work.
🔹 Thinking time is productive time. Step back to move forward.
🔹 Single-tasking wins. Focus fuels real progress.

💡 Your challenge this week: Break one hidden rule and see what happens.

Until next week, enjoy your updated rules.

See you next week. One more thought 👇

Want more? 

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1. My book - Nuclear Powered Resilience

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3. Coaching packages - start with a FREE 15 minutes exploration session.

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That's it for this week. Thanks for reading, really hope this helped. Contact me if you think I can help you further at [email protected].

Happy thinking.