“Slow productivity” is a term that describes reducing busywork in favor of accomplishing high-quality, ambitious projects. Here are the three pillars of slow productivity.

• Do fewer things. This doesn’t mean that you accomplish fewer things, but that you are working on fewer things simultaneously. Every time you say “yes” to a task, that work comes with its own administrative overhead, such as emails and meetings. More of your day becomes devoted to talking about work than doing it, which makes progress slower. When you work on fewer things, the rate at which you finish work will increase. To help you switch to the “fewer things” mindset, consider making a workload document listing the top three things you’ve agreed to work on; put at the bottom the projects you will work on next, and only move something into your “working on” queue when you’ve finished something else. 
• Work at a more natural pace. According to Cal Newport, author of Slow Productivity, humans were never meant to work at a full level of intensity, every day of the work week, with only two weeks off a year; those expectations came about when mills and factories were developed. Historically, people had more variation in their work—hard and quiet parts of the day and seasons of intense work and near hibernation. Think about how you can build times of recharging and rest into your day. 
• Focus on quality. We tend to think about productivity as something happening in short timescales—like this hour. But this leads to busyness that isn’t compatible with the long-term thinking, experimenting, and effort that goes into producing quality work. The more you care about creating something of quality, the more insistent you’ll become about slowing down. Think about what you’re really doing in your job—what your strengths are and where the most value of your work comes from. This will help you let go of tasks that aren’t useful or can possibly be delegated.

For more advice, read “Are You Burnt Out? Give ‘Slow Productivity’ a Try.”