Even though I haven’t written much on the subject of productivity, I’ve geeked out about it for years. 

I remember being 18 years old, having a massive author crush with Stephen R. Covey while lying in bed reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. (Which, by the way, if you haven’t read, do yourself a favor and grab a copy ASAP.) 

At first, my effort to maximize productivity was fear-based and frantic, driven by the limiting belief “I’m worthy only when I achieve,” and a severe case of imposter syndrome.

Productivity, for productivity’s sake, is pointless at best and self-destructive at worst. It helped me get a lot done, but it also made me depressed. 

As I’ve released those old patterns, I’m free to have a clear-headed, mindful productivity that is love-based, purpose-entered, fuelled by my heart’s desire to fulfill my potentials and my soul’s calling to make an impact. 

Now I see productivity in a different light. 

When we think about productivity, we often think: “How can I do more?”. But a saner way to think about it is: “How can I do less and yet have more?” More impact, more income, more quality time to rest, play, be with the people I love.   

This may sound too good to be true, but it can be done using the simple law of physics. 

The Greek mathematician Archimedes once said: “Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the Earth.” And he wasn’t bluffing. 

He referred to the powerful implication of a scientific law: Work is equal to force applied over a distance. Enters the lever. A lever doesn’t reduce the amount of work you need to lift an object, but it gives you a pretty good bargain: increase the distance, and you need less force. 

Bringing this back to productivity: you can do less and yet have more by using a long, sturdy lever. 

The domino effect offers another fascinating way to look at productivity. I’m sure you’ve seen a satisfying display of falling dominoes before. But did you know that a domino can knock over another one that’s 50% larger than itself? (Professor Lorne Whitehead discovered this way back in 1983.) 

Imagine lining up one domino in front of another, each 50% larger than the one before. The first domino is merely 5 centimeters in height (2 inches). 

Make a wild guess and let me know: How high do you think the 31st domino will get? What about the 57th?

The answer:

The 31st domino is 914 meters above Mount Everest. The 57th is almost the distance to the moon. 

What else, they will both be knocked over by the cumulative force started by the first domino - our 5cm hero. 

Mind-blowing, isn’t it? 

We often say “on top of the mountain” when we think of success. We also say “shoot for the moon” when we go for our dream. 

It is possible, if you can line up your domino pieces and knock over that first domino.  

The full impact of your life’s work lies in its cumulative effect, not a string of random hits standing in silos. Here Aristotle’s wisdom applies:

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  

Want to create impactful work? Think discography, not a one-hit-wonder. Think Stephen King, not Harper Lee. 

(No offense to Harper Lee. Whatever reason she gives for not writing after “To Kill a Mockingbird,” I respect. Still, I can’t help but wonder what she does with the rest of her time, and if the Universe gives you such an extraordinary gift, why on earth are you not using it?) 

So where do we get our long lever, how do we find our first domino? 

My answer to this is the combo questions. 

The Focusing Question: What is The One Thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary? 

The Easing Question: If this were really easy, how would it look like? 

I stumbled upon The Focusing Question when I absent-mindedly picked up a book titled “The One Thing” from my partner’s shelf. Then for 1 week, I couldn’t put it down. 

Written by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, this book is a top recommendation in my business mentoring program for new coaches. I even bought it for one of my clients. 

The genius of The Focusing Question is that it doesn’t just ask: “What can I do?” The qualifying elements of the question “such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary” force your mind to zoom in to the single most impactful thing and discard the rest. 

Its usage is also flexible. I use this question when I need to problem-solve or strategize any aspect of my business. 

It can be specific:

“What is The One Thing I can do to enroll 3 clients this month such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?” 

Or it can be more generic:

“What is The One Thing I can do to maximize my impact such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?” 

I meditate on the question, contemplate, journal, take a walk, bounce ideas with my business advisor, or sleep on it. Sometimes in a flash, sometimes in a few days, from the bottom of my powerful subconscious, a clear answer eventually bubbles up to the surface.  

The Easing Question dawned on me when I was wrestling in the mud with my writing project.

Even though I love writing, I have a host of inner demons that often gets in the way: fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, fear of judgment, fear of visibility, imposter syndrome, resistance, inertia, laziness, procrastination, perfectionism… you name it! 

With this inner Korean soap drama going on, I overcomplicated the writing project, making it a lot harder than it actually was.  

The Easing Question helped me leave my chattering mind and engaged with my imagination: “If this were really easy, how would it look like?” 

It makes me close my eyes, take a long easy breath, and imagine me doing it in the easiest way possible. My imagination always shows the process to be more simple than my mind makes of it.

Visualizing myself going through the process is similar to Mental Rehearsal for athletes, which is proven to improve performance. 

When I open my eyes, it’s a lot easier to sit my butt on the chair and start to write. And it’s all about getting started. Once you’ve started and gotten in the groove, the work pretty much completes itself. 

So there you have it. The combo questions to find your lever, your first domino. 

You can use them daily in the morning when you plan for your day. You can also use them in your weekly or monthly strategic meetings. You can use them for yourself or facilitate team discussion. 

Choose a way to use them, experiment, and see the result for yourself.

Finally, remember: don’t settle, be bold with your dreams, shoot for the moon, aim for the top of the mountain. You absolutely can. 

With so much love, 

PS: while you’re here…

Take a look at my article Choose Ease over Struggle, You Can Stop Trying So Hard Now and Imposter Syndrome is Real, Here’s How to Free Yourself From It.

P.P.S: Productivity for productivity’s sake is pointless. 

It’s like climbing really fast on a ladder that leans against the wrong wall. To feel truly fulfilled, your productive effort needs to be centered around a clear purpose. 

If you want to clarify your unique purpose, get started with this beautiful (and Free!) Purpose-Finder Workbook. 

Download below!   

SHARING = LOVING