If You Can Get Into the Essence of Productivity, Why Not Trim the Fat?

In my post about the two simple rules of productivity, I wrote that:

With these two rules in place, the purpose of the rest of your productivity system (such as calendar and to-do list) is actually nothing but to help you figure out what the most important task at any given time is.

There is actually a hidden implication of this statement. If you somehow can figure out what your most important task at any given time is, you don’t even need a productivity system. Why do you need a productivity system if you already have what the system tries to provide?
I think it explains why some people are known for their ‘unstructured’ productivity. Darren Rowse from Problogger for example, said that he is “incredibly spontaneous and often work out of this”. Even Bill Gates said that he is “not big on to-do list”. I also know some other people who simply follow their intuition in doing their work.
The lesson is, you should find the simplest possible productivity system that works for you. What is the simplest possible system you need to help you figure out what your most important task at any given time is? Or maybe you don’t even need a system?
Just don’t waste your time trying to implement a productivity system you do not need.


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