When I embarked on this artistic journey in November 2022, I set myself a list of goals to achieve within a well-defined timeline: 1000 days, ending on November 28, 2025. My aim was to efficiently and productively work towards these goals. To streamline my process, I turned to the internet, searching for an efficient pipeline that would outline my entire month's work, allowing me to make day to day decisions more intuitively.
After watching a couple of YouTube videos and creating a Notion account, I established an efficient pipeline and diligently followed it, resulting in significant productivity gains. Projects that used to be a slog were now completed on time. However, amid this productivity, a worrisome question lingered in my mind: "How long can I sustain this pace? Is this approach truly sustainable?" I recognized that this artistic journey was more of a marathon than a sprint, and I needed to find my own pace.
Not long into this "efficient and hyper-productive" pipeline, I experienced complete burnout—depleted of both energy and motivation. I wanted to find out how can I do this sustainably for 50 years while being creative and fulfilled? My answer came from the industrial era.
Industrial Era Mindset
The industrial era was a tumultuous time in human history. We witnessed rapid advancements in technology, medical science, urbanization, living standards, economic growth, and more. However, these developments came at a significant human cost. Poor working conditions, labor exploitation, social inequality, and environmental impacts were among the negative consequences.
The outlook on this era varies depending on whom you ask. Capitalists loved it for its cheap labor and the accumulation of unimaginable capital1. One of the most impactful ideas from the industrial era that remains relevant to our topic is "productivity." For Capitalists, any form of idleness or lack of physical labor in the assembly line was considered unproductive. Stagnation was unacceptable, If you are not moving forward, you’re moving backwards.
This constant need for productivity has been ingrained and drilled into us through social conditioning. We work 8 hours a day to create capital, then we hit the gym so we can stay healthy….to be able to create more capital in the future. Most if not all people have considered monetizing their hobbies at some point in their lives. Doing things merely for the sake of doing it is not enough. We must make capital out of it. I am not claiming I do not suffer from this same problem, I have tried to monetized every hobby I ever had and now I am scared of acquiring new hobbies because I might fuck that up too.
A New Era
Most developed countries are currently transitioning to the Stabilization period, characterized by very low rates of increase in economic, demographic, and other forms of development. However, the productivity mindset from the industrial era has not been erased, even though we are relying more and more on our brains to do the work and less on physical labor. Our education system and social structure continue to cling to the old system. This trend spans across the job market, from blue-collar to white-collar work. For instance, I had to climb a wonky ladder to change diffusion filters on big hot HMI film lights 7 years ago and now I move a slider on a phone app and the same thing is accomplished.
Society remains obsessed with constant work, multitasking, and juggling multiple projects simultaneously. This approach is not sustainable. Humans were never meant to endure such levels of stimulation and demanding work, whether physical or mental. Throughout our evolution, we were accustomed to performing one or two tasks a day, yet now we are expected to handle 10-15 tasks daily. How did we end up here? Certainly not by choice!
Slow Productivity Wins The Race
I do not know who coined this term first, but I stumbled upon it from Cal Newport2, an American computer science professor and author. The idea of slow productivity is simple: treat yourself like a human, not a computer. Computers have become so fast and powerful that we can have 15 open applications on an iPad without it slowing down. However, we are not computers; we never evolved to handle 15 tasks simultaneously. While we might push ourselves to accomplish multiple tasks at once for a while, it's important to ask yourself if such an approach is sustainable for the long marathon ahead? So Do fewer things daily.
Secondly, work at a natural pace. This one will come naturally if you follow the first step of doing fewer things daily. When your schedule is packed with a bunch of tasks that you think you need to do for X, Y, Z reasons, you will inevitably run out of time and start rushing. Rushing leads to nothing but a tired, overworked, and stressed brain that can't perform well the next day. I tried this method, and the first thought that came to my mind was, 'I feel like I am falling behind if I don't work fast and hard.'
I investigated this thought and realized two things. The social conditioning from the industrial era has led me to believe that if I don't keep moving forward, I will fall back on the assembly line. I need to shift my perspective and focus on achieving my goals in the long term. Instead of worrying about what I can achieve in a day, I need to stick to my 1000-day plan. I ask myself, 'What can I accomplish in a month, what can I achieve in 6 months, what can I achieve in 1 year?' and so on. This change in perspective will naturally lead to working at a more sustainable and natural pace.
Another thing to be mindful of is seasonality. Medieval peasants worked 175-180 days a year3, and now we are expected to work 300+ days a year? What the fuck happened? You won't be able to work effectively throughout the year. It's like the seasons; sometimes, there is a lot of sunshine, and sometimes, there is none. Some months, you can work hard, and others, you need to rest. Slow down and listen to yourself.
Thirdly, focus on Quality, Quality, Quality. Be obsessed with it. The backbone of your work should be its quality. Not only does quality give you an advantage over others, but it also brings greater fulfillment to you personally. When you create something you truly believe in and dedicate quality time to it, you will feel a deeper sense of fulfillment.
Quality work helps you stand out in a world filled with quantity-oriented work. For example, with the accessibility of cameras, there are millions of people with better cameras and lenses than mine. I can never compete with them on that end. The only way I can make my work stand out is by producing quality, personal work. Such work will make a more significant impact than a sharp, clean image taken on a 105-megapixel camera.
Lastly, embrace a minimalist schedule. This ties everything together. Be mindful of your schedule and don't let distractions invade it. Learning to say no to things is a superpower. I always apply the 'tomorrow rule.' If someone asks me to hang out or do something on a later date, I ask myself, 'Would I do this tomorrow?' If the answer is no, then it's a no.
Maintaining a minimal schedule is crucial to upholding the points mentioned above. A cluttered schedule will lead to a cluttered brain, without a doubt.
I genuinely hope this post helps steer you in the right direction. Navigating a distracted world can be challenging, but don't be too hard on yourself. Try to implement one thing at a time, and if you fail, try again the next day. Decades of conditioning can't and won't be erased in one day or week.
I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to check out my other works and support me on PATREON or make a one time DONATION. I can only keep making with your support. Until next time :)
Rest of my work can be found on my website; Alamin.ca
In this context, capital refers to wealth that can generate additional wealth without being depleted in the process.
https://calnewport.com/
Schor, J. B. (n.d.). Pre-industrial workers had a shorter workweek than today’s. Preindustrial workers worked fewer hours than today’s. https://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/hours_workweek.html#:~:text=Manorial%20records%20from%20fourteenth%2Dcentury,only%20180%20days%20a%20year.