Productivity is not about getting more work done.

It’s about getting more of the right work done.

This was his philosophy:

“It doesn’t matter how fast you move if it’s in a worthless direction. Picking the right thing to work on is the most important element of productivity and usually almost ignored. So think about it more!” - Sam Altman

If you spent 8 hours coding but don't end up using any of that code for your business than was that 8 hours actually productive?

No it wasn't.

So, you could work the entire day, but still not be productive since you worked on the wrong thing.

Now let's zoom out a little bit.

Imagine you created a startup and worked on it tirelessly for 3 years, just to realize you picked the wrong thing to work on.

Your business didn't fail because you didn't work hard. It failed because you chose to work on the wrong thing and didn't realize it until 3 years later.

That's why it's so important to pick the right things to work on so you don't end up wasting your time.

Here's Sam's Strategy on how he decides what to work on.

Quote

“I make sure to leave enough time in my schedule to think about what to work on. The best ways for me to do this are reading books, hanging out with interesting people, and spending time in nature. I’ve learned that I can’t be very productive working on things I don’t care about or don’t like. So I just try not to put myself in a position where I have to do them (by delegating, avoiding, or something else).” - Sam Altman

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