It’s easier to raise your floor than to raise your ceiling. Cutting out the least productive moments is an easier way to help yourself become more productive than building in maximum productive moments.
Why is this true? Usually, unproductive moments are caused by external factors while moments of maximum productivity are a combination of opportunity, time, and personal clarity. It’s possible to identify those external factors and minimize their ability to impact you.
If there’s a person who constantly schedules pointless meetings, stop attending. If there’s a work location that causes you to be unproductive, avoid it. If you aren’t getting the information you need, build an improved network.
Your productivity is yours to control. Don’t just seek to be more productive generally, minimize the moments where you are least productive and you’ll see amazing results.