The Physics of Productivity: Newton’s Laws of Getting Stuff Done

Productivity is?a bit of a buzzword these days. I bet you’ve sneaked a peak at some articles promising to boost your productivity, improve you focus, or something else that largely translates to “get more done.” I’m guilty, I’m always looking for ways to make better use of my time — although I can’t say they all work.

There’s one simple idea that might be surprisingly useful and effective. Newton’s Laws of Motion. Yes they apply to physics, so why would they be effective when talking about productivity? Well, James Clear would be best to show you, which he does nicely in this Huffington Post article:

Newton’s First Law of Productivity

First Law of Motion: An object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force (i.e., objects in motion tend to stay in motion; objects at rest tend to stay at rest).

In many ways procrastination is a fundamental law of the universe. It’s Newton’s first law applied to productivity. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest.

The good news? It works the other way too. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. When it comes to being productive, this means one thing: The most important thing is to find a way to get started. Once you get started, it is much easier to stay in motion.

It makes surprisingly good sense doesn’t it? It’s often easier to do one small thing towards the final goal than it is to think about the whole thing at once. I also find that when I start something, by making a small investment, I’m less likely to waste it, so I force myself to go further. There’s two other laws of productivity for you when you check out the rest of the article.