It's Time for Slow Productivity

“Pseudo-productivity: The use of visible activity as the primary means of approximating actual productive effort.” - Cal Newport

Knowledge workers everywhere: we are all prone to the pseudo-productivity trap. Earlier in my career, the expectations were that “work” was considered seated at your desk at 9am and stayed there pretty much until I was the last person at the office.  It was a show of dedication, of production. 

Performativity was paramount over actual production though. The research literature at the time (about a decade ago now) espoused the importance of multitasking within this “age of information.”  The work ethic of the time seemed to brazenly encourage as many social media accounts as one could push out information, constantly responding when our mobile phones beeped and dinged.  At the end of each work day, it felt like I was exhausted from overdoing even though I wouldn’t recall feeling accomplished at what I was exactly “doing.”

"Slow Productivity" proposes a more sustainable and thoughtful approach to work-life balance. Unlike the "hustle culture" or the constant pressure of traditional productivity systems that prioritize speed and efficiency, Slow Productivity encourages taking one's time to focus on fewer tasks while doing them more deeply and meaningfully.

The Slow Movement has been a cultural initiative that advocates for a reduction in the pace of modern life, and Slow Productivity builds on the idea that relentless productivity can lead to burnout, anxiety, and a sense of overwhelm. Slow Productivity suggests we should aim for long-term progress by concentrating on what really matters and spacing out tasks in a way that allows for thoughtful engagement and deep work.

Cal Newport thus highlights this approach to include:

• Focus on less: Slow Productivity encourages limiting the number of simultaneous commitments or tasks. By narrowing focus, people can give more attention to the projects that truly matter.
• Quality over quantity: The emphasis is on doing fewer things better rather than doing many things quickly. This also includes developing skills or deepening expertise over time.
• Pacing work: Instead of rushing, set realistic expectations, allowing time for creativity and rest, and understanding that meaningful work takes time to develop.
• Do Not Burnout: Not burning out will enable you to not overextend and maintain long-term motivation and energy

For librarians and knowledge workers, Slow Productivity, is a critical reminder that a more human, sustainable, and fulfilling approach to productivity that balances accomplishment with well-being, encouraging deep work without the stress of constantly being "on the clock."  Performing to look busy may have been helpful at one point in time, but as the pandemic and working-from-home experience has shown, true productivity happens away from pretending to be busy -- when real performance is looking back at your accomplishments over a period of time.

The Gaps and the Gains of Life

The Gap and the Gain is a simple and effective approach to reframing personal growth more positively while emphasizing how an individual should measure progress. The authors of the book, Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy, introduce the concept of focusing on "the gain" (what we've achieved) instead of dwelling on "the gap" (what remains undone). Following this mindset shift sharply increases happiness, motivation, and productivity.

For myself, the "gap" is my default tendency to compare myself to an ideal (often that is perfectionism), which often leads to frustration and disappointment. On the other hand, the "gain" reframes how it is more productive to reflect on how far we've come, fostering a sense of accomplishment and gratitude.

While one of the book's strengths is its straightforward and relatable language, making the psychological concepts accessible to a broad audience, my frustration (perhaps my “gap”?) is that the ideas are somewhat repetitive, as the central concept is reiterated throughout the book. The examples and case studies are easy to understand and apply to various aspects of life, whether personal, professional, or relational. Overall, The Gap and the Gain is a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their mindset, offering actionable insights for living a more fulfilled and productive life.

As a pre-New Years resolution, I’m adopting a “gain” framework.  But doing it won't come easy because psychologists call this challenge automaticity. It is easy to forget because “your brain has evolved to forget gains” as humans because we quickly adapt to the new normal very easily. Hence, the most practical strategy for adopting “the gain” is journaling and specific goal-setting techniques that prioritize progress over perfection.

Call for Book Chapters: Global Perspectives on Anti-Racism and Anti-Colonial Library Management Practices

Call for Book Chapters

Global Perspectives on Anti-Racism and Anti-Colonial Library Management Practices

Editors

• Allan Cho, University of British Columbia (UBC) Library
• Silvia Vong, University of Toronto, Faculty of Information 
• Marilyn Clarke, University of London
• Kirsten Thorpe, University of Technology Sydney



Important Dates

• Proposals due: January 13, 2025
• Review period: March 2025
• Notifications of acceptance: April 4, 2025
• First draft of chapters due: July 21, 2025
• Review period/feedback: Fall 2025
• Second draft of chapters due: December 15, 2025
• Final manuscript submission: January 2026

Background

This book is signed with Facet Publishing and is based on the perspectives and experiences of different practicing librarians, researchers, and educators worldwide, who engage with anti-racist and anti-colonial practices in library and information science (LIS). The book draws on Dei’s meaning of anti-racism and anti-colonialism. Anti-racism moves away from the “preoccupation with individual prejudices and discriminatory actions to the examination of the ways in which racist ideas and individual actions are entrenched and unconsciously supported in institutional structures” (Dei, 1995, p. 13). Anti-colonialism is resistance and counters to dominant Western and Eurocentric thought and practice. George Dei (2006) writes, “Anti-colonial thought is about a ‘decolonizing of the mind’ working with resistant knowledge and claiming the power of local subjects’ intellectual agency” (p. 11). Both of these terms refer to some form of critical action. It is important to note that Sara Ahmed (2012) identifies in On Being Included that institutions and management are largely performative in addressing racism and whiteness in higher education. The editors recognize that management may have historical roots and connections in problematic ideologies and practices. However, rather than focus on talking about the problems, this book focuses on critiquing and offering redress for institutional policies, procedures, and practices that reinforce racist or colonial ideologies that impact underrepresented and/or equity-deserving groups. For that reason, the editors are seeking chapter proposals that move away from common performative practice (e.g., statement writing, document reporting, re-branding) and more towards practical action and changes in library settings.

Global perspectives mean that an effort to ensure a range of perspectives from different countries are included to examine issues of racism and colonialism and its impact on the library as a workplace. The intention is to ensure that different experiences are represented to avoid essentializing or assuming what anti-racism and/or anti-colonial practices look like in different contexts. Through a critical lens that may include postcolonial theory, Critical Race Theory, Critical Race Feminism, etc., Methods that the editors have experience reviewing are qualitative studies that include interviews, surveys, autoethnography, and case studies. In addition, some works may be a literature review, or conceptual. If submitting a proposal and chapter that uses autoethnography, please include details about research ethics, data, data collection, and writing approach.

• Ahmed, S. (2012). On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life. Duke University Press.
• Sefa Dei, G. J., & Kempf, A. (2006). Anti-Colonialism and Education: The Politics of Resistance. Sense Publishers.
• Dei, G. J. S. (1995). Integrative Anti-Racism: Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender. Race, Gender & Class, 2(3), 11–30. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41674706

Objectives

• Present perspectives and experiences of different practicing librarians, researchers, and educators across the world, who engage with anti-racist and/or anti-colonial leaders and/or management practices in LIS
• Examine the dynamically shifting role between anti-racism and anti-colonialism and library institutions in the context of managing people, information, and collections
• Bringing awareness and exploring actions managers can take to redress racist or colonial structures and practices.

Target Audience

• Library practitioners, activists, managers, leaders, etc. interested in engaging in anti-racist and anti-colonial practices
• The content should be aimed at librarians ready to learn and act to support anti-racism and anti-colonial efforts.

Potential Topics

• Addressing Colonial Practices in Governance or Organizational Structures in Libraries
• Decolonizing Leadership and Management
• Truth and Redress of Colonial Histories/Connections in Institutions
• Management through a Critical Race Theory or Postcolonial Theory lens
• Decentering Whiteness in Libraries
• Cultural Taxation in the Profession
• Anti-racism in the Library Workplace
• Laws, and Policies

We are also open to suggestions on topics about anti-racism or anti-colonial practices. Proposals should include references to academic sources.

Please send the following to Editors.GlobalPerspectives@gmail.com by January 13, 2025:

• Job Title(s)
• Institution(s)
• Section of interest and a 500-word description of the proposed book chapter. Please include the topic, method and main point(s) clearly
• Research involving human participants, including autoethnographies, should indicate whether a research ethics or institutional research board approval has been received
• References list (APA style)
• A 250-word bio of the author or authors.

Facet Publishing is a leading publisher of books for the information, knowledge and heritage sectors. They publish for a wide range of readers including students, practitioners, educators and researchers, bringing cutting-edge research, practical tools and guidance and thought leadership to the global community.