In Response to a Book of 100 Tips

warninglabel.gifI was kind of interested in the following post by Ben Yoskovitz, in which he asked for tips from over 100 people on “The Secret to Being Productive”.

He got over 100 responses, all of them quite interesting, but it struck me that a book of 100 tips might require a warning label….


Ben, I have a contrary view… and a reason why the book should be carefully considered before it is written. I think productivity tips are similar to pieces of bright coloured candy. They taste nice, but they aren’t a good substitute for meat and potatoes (or, here in Jamaica, for jerk chicken and hard-do bread!).They are hardly the building blocks that one needs for a healthy lifestyle, and too much of a focus on them is, well, unhealthy.

Not to pour too much cold water on the idea… I WILL read it once it’s completed, but you may do well to have a “Warning” sign at the beginning saying that someone should not expect to implement these 100+ tips and, by itself, become more productive.


So I submitted my own tip (long after the closing date) that essentially said: “Big Tip: Throw Away the Tips“. I don’t think it’s going to make it into the book… 😉