In this world of hustle, burnout, and constant urgency, I advocate for something much simpler: calm and decency. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether you fought through misery or reached your goals with ease and curiosity. What matters is that you took the necessary steps to get there.
No one hands out awards for “most struggle.” You don’t get a star for suffering. You get the star for shipping valuable work.
Today I want to explain why drama destroys productivity, and then share 10 practical ways to pursue your goals with calm instead of chaos.
Productivity has become dramatic
There is far too much drama in the world of self-improvement. People track their days to the minute, obsess over to-do apps, punish themselves for not hitting extreme goals, and glorify sleepless nights. “No pain, no gain,” right? And then the inevitable happens—they collapse from burnout and blame themselves for “not being disciplined enough.”
It looks like a bad movie with no happy ending.
Personally, I’ve learned that real success comes from calm and consistency. The best decisions are made in calm. The deepest thinking happens in calm. The most creative work happens in calm.
Have you ever watched someone create anything meaningful while terrified, pressured, or angry? I haven’t.
If you do creative work of any kind, your goal is the flow state—yet you cannot enter flow while riding emotional rollercoasters. Extreme fear, extreme pressure, and even extreme excitement prevent it. Although society romanticizes artists who are either ecstatic or depressed, this stereotype exists because it makes a good screenplay—not because it reflects reality.
Drama is optional. No matter what I’ve experienced over the past few years, I’ve seen this proven again and again.
10 ways to achieve your goals with calm
1. Focus on the practice, not the outcome
Every goal has a price. The system is the price of the goal. When you show up for the practice, the goal takes care of itself.
However, when you focus only on the outcome, uncertainty increases. With uncertainty come anxiety, frustration, and urgency—drama. By contrast, when you focus on the practice, you win every day you show up.
Focusing on outcomes creates drama. Focusing on practice creates calm.
Recommended Reading:
- The Practice by Seth Godin
2. Very few things are as urgent as they feel
Our always-online culture convinces us that everything is urgent, especially requests from bosses and clients. It isn’t true.
Surprisingly, about 70% of problems solve themselves when you give people time. Quick replies don’t equal valuable work. They simply interrupt your real work.
3. Check email during scheduled windows
Because most requests are not actually urgent, nothing terrible will happen if you stop refreshing your inbox every five minutes. Schedule inbox time instead—preferably not in the morning, so your most important task gets your best energy.
4. Keep a backlog of ideas and projects
Instead of juggling everything at once, capture everything in a backlog and select only a few items per month. Commit to them for the duration of a sprint. This structure protects your attention—and your sanity.
5. Work on your mindset daily
Drama starts in our thinking. Daily journaling helps you identify thoughts that support your goals rather than sabotage them. Ask: Which thoughts will make today’s actions easier?
6. Go analog
Analog tools have built-in limits. A sheet of paper can only hold so many tasks. A physical book has no clickable distractions. These limits protect your attention. Digital tools, although useful, easily turn into endless optimization loops. Think about it.. How did Einstein, Darwin, Michelangelo get their job done? All they had were analog tools. And it was enough.
7. Think by walking
Walking is a creativity cheat code. Movement loosens up thinking, dissolves pressure, and sparks new ideas. My best ideas rarely come from sitting still—they arrive somewhere around step 10,000.
8. Limit consumption
The less you consume, the more you create. Social media, news, and ads are designed for addiction and drama. If you want your own voice—rather than recycled thoughts from others—protect your attention from constant input.
9. Have fixed working hours
When time is limited, priorities become obvious. However, when time is unlimited, we default to whatever is easiest—not what is most meaningful. Fixed hours also leave space for health, relationships, and rest.
10. Don’t obsess over competitors
The most successful people I know don’t know what their competitors are doing.
They just do what they think they should do.
When you look beyond your industry, you create something no competitor could predict.
If you focus on your competition, you will end up producing very similar products to your competitors. Plus, you’ll always be feeling the need to catch up, to win, to dominate.
If instead you focus on being inspired every single day by people and companies outside your industry, you end up creating products and offerings that none of your competitors could predict.
Recommended Reading:
- Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
Calm ambition wins
“The purpose of a goal is to orient yourself in the present.” — Gary Keller
Goals are not meant to create drama or anxiety. They simply point you in the right direction so you can take small meaningful steps every day.
Make yourself proud daily. Celebrate small wins. Remember: there is no happy ending to a miserable journey.
If you prefer an audio format, please consider subscribing to the Monthly Method Podcast.
You might find these posts interesting:
Why You Don’t Need Another Productivity App
One Response
RAW. PROFOUND. SEARING. HONEST.
Thank you doesn’t seem enough to let you know that FINALLY something I’ve read resonates so strongly. Your wise words have opened up a sliver of light & hope, a way to crawl out of my severe procrastination and emotional molasses.
Again…thank you 💜