The Best Articles in Productivity
The most useful articles and videos in Productivity from around the web, curated by thought leaders and our community.
Refind focuses on timeless pieces and updates the list whenever new, must-read articles or videos are discovered.
Top 5 Productivity Articles
At a glance: these are the articles that have been most read, shared, and saved in Productivity by Refind users in 2024 so far.
Videos
Watch a video to get a quick overview.
How to Get Ahead of 99% of People (Starting Today)
This is what nobody tells you about success.In this video, you’ll learn one trick that could make you more successful than 99% of people. It's not what you t...
CLARITY Is POWER: Yuval Noah Harari
Ultra-athlete Rich Roll talks with bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari about the most pressing issues currently facing mankind. For more, go here👉🏾http://...
Do this before you do anything else every day
✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, m...
Dan Shipper: The unexpected key to boosting your productivity
Ever wished you could stop procrastinating and just be as efficient as a machine? Since you're a human, that's not going to happen -- but that's OK, says entrepreneur Dan Shipper. Here's how you can…
What is ...?
New to Productivity? These articles make an excellent introduction.
How to Learn Anything: A Beginner's Guide to Ultralearning
Learn how to learn anything using the Ultralearning method, and set yourself up for success with our Ultralearning Template for Notion.
«Feedback is simply the process of comparing your results with the desired results. It sounds easy in theory — but can actually be quite hard.»
What is underneath productivity?
I’ve been obsessing about productivity for a long time. I used to spend a lot of time thinking about tools for thought and second brains. But these days, I spend most of my time thinking about…
«When you go deeper into the stack you realize this: in order to be productive, you need to have an end toward which you are working. You also need to have a means or a strategy to get there.»
What Is Decision Fatigue And How To Combat It
Are you struggling to make good decisions? Adopt these strategies to overcome decision fatigue and start making the right choices.
«block scheduling is the practice of allocating large chunks of time to related tasks. For example, you might designate Mondays for meetings and Tuesdays for strategy.»
What Is Procrastination? How To Identify & Stop This Destructive Habit
Welcome to this procrastination guide. You'll learn what procrastination is. In this guide, I also share tested and proven ways to beat it.
How to ...?
How to conquer digital distractions
Digital distractions are all around us. Here's how to combat them so you can stay focused and productive at work.
«Users were gambling every time they shared a photo, web link, or status update,»
How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done
How do we get motivated? The latest research has secrets that can help us get going and get things done even when we don't feel like it...
How to Have a Powerfully Effective Day
By Leo Babauta A lot of people I talk to are unhappy with their ability to get stuff done in their lives. They feel they’re wasting a lot of time, never really getting anything important done. What I…
«Wonder — how can I see wonder in everythingCuriosity — how can I learn something from every moment?Love — how can I bring love into everything I do?Aliveness — how can I feel lit up about my life?»
How to Break the Perfectionism-Procrastination Loop
Are you dealing with problems related to procrastination and perfectionism? Learn about the perfectionism-procrastination loop and how to break it.
«I think you could substitute the word “unrealistic” for the word “vague,” and you’d have a more accurate assessment of the problem.»
How to switch from Notion to Obsidian
Are you thinking of switching from Notion to Obsidian? As a rule of thumb when choosing a note-taking app, Notion tends to better suit architects, while Obsidian suits gardeners better. If you feel…
Trending
These links are currently making the rounds in Productivity on Refind.
Lucky vs. Repeatable
Luck plays such a big role in the world. But few people want to talk about it. If I say you got lucky, I look jealous. If I tell myself that I got lucky, I feel diminished. Maybe a better way to frame…
«You can learn a lot from Warren Buffett’s patience. But you can’t replicate the market environment he had in the 1950s, so be careful copying the specific strategies he used back then.»
How to Start Small Rituals That Make Every Day Feel Special
A psychologist and Harvard professor lets us in on the magic behind meaningful routines.
When Procrastination is Productive
Productivity isn’t throwing out all your existing commitments in the fanatical pursuit of a big ambition. Instead, choosing what matters and organizing your time and energy to reach it.
Optimising The Remote Work Environment For Better Productivity
Study reports of productivity in remote work are all over the internet. According to The New York Times , some studies link remote work with productivity declines of 8–14%. Others show remote work…
Short Articles
Short on time? Check out these useful short articles in Productivity—all under 10 minutes.
How to find success with the 4 conditions of “intelligent failure”
Intelligent failure occurs in a low-risk environment and leads to growth or new knowledge. To fail intelligently, follow five strategies.
How to fight the "tyranny of small decisions"
The book shop in Garrett’s local town always has beautiful displays. Every time he walks past, Garrett smiles at some quirky, cuddly toy hang-gliding over the book mountains. He pauses to take an…
My Simple Habit for Smarter Book Reading
The best habit to improve your reading is to ask after every impassioned argument, “What’s the rebuttal?”
«ChatGPT and LLMs can be useful here. Asking an LLM, “What are the most frequently cited objections to opinion X?” doesn’t guarantee an accurate summary of the literature. But it can give you a starting point by introducing you to some jargon you can search for later.»
Motivation vs. Discipline: Which Helps You Go Further?
Delve into the complex interplay of motivation vs. discipline in the pursuit of your goals. Learn how to harness both forces to create lasting change.
Long Articles
These are some of the most-read long-form articles in Productivity.
Einstein's 7 rules for a better life
When it comes to living your best life, Albert Einstein — notorious as the greatest physicist and genius of his time, and possibly of all-time — probably isn’t the first name you think of in terms of…
«Blind obedience to authority is the greatest enemy of the truth.” In the era of fake news, this lesson is more important to assimilate than ever»
100 tiny changes to transform your life: from the one-minute rule to pyjama yoga
Want more health and happiness in the year ahead – without having to work too hard? Here are tried and tested tweaks that can lead to big improvements
«Walking outdoors every day. I find it hugely beneficial for my mental and physical health, which has had a domino effect on my whole life.»
How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events
How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events - Freakonomics
The Ultimate Guide to Unstoppable Motivation
The Pacific Crest Trail is renowned as one of the most arduous—and sometimes dangerous—hiking trails in America. Every summer, thousands of intrepid walkers set off on the trail, beginning in spring…
«those who had higher levels of both introjected and identified motivation were far more likely to complete the trail.»
Why Choose Process Goals? (Over Outcome-Based Goals)
Process goals are a better alternative to the commonly used outcome-based goals. See why you need more of those continuous goals and less of the other.
Thought Leaders
We monitor hundreds of thought leaders, influencers, and newsletters in Productivity, including:
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It’s a mix of human and algorithmic curation, following a number of steps:
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The result: lists of the best and most useful articles on hundreds of topics.
How does Refind detect «timeless» pieces?
We focus on pieces with long shelf-lives—not news. We determine «timelessness» via a number of metrics, for example, the consumption pattern of links over time.
How many sources does Refind monitor?
We monitor 10k+ content sources on hundreds of topics—publications, blogs, news sites, newsletters, Substack, Medium, Twitter, etc.
Who are the thought leaders in Productivity?
We follow dozens of thought leaders in Productivity, including Mark Manson, Derek Sivers, Tim Ferriss, Paul Graham, Leo Babauta.
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