For me, a lot comes down to that complicated "work/life balance". I need to make sure I get enough sleep, I get varieties of stimulation, I get enough time with the people I really love (love is a HUGE part of my life)... that I'm balanced. If the balance goes out of whack, if I overfocus on one thing, my broader productivity drops precipitously.<p>Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Every time you sprint, you reduce your marathon speed. Sprints wipe out energy reserves that need replenished. I'll bet if you look at the high-productivity people you admire, you rarely see them panicked against a hard deadline with impossible requirements. They don't get into those situations, because they know what it will do to their overall productivity.<p>Also? Success breeds success, and comfort with occasional failure breeds comfort with occasional failure. The biggest cause of procrastination and paralysis imho is fear of failure, of doing something wrong. Look at the billions of questions on internet forums of the "What is the best X for Y?" form. People won't try to do Y, because they don't have the "best" X. They fear that if they don't have the best X, they'll fail - which is in itself a magical belief that X is the source of success. It's not X that succeeds - it's I.<p>Really productive people also have good process. They're skilled at breaking down complex tasks into manageable pieces. And no, asking "What is the best process for maximum productivity?" will not get you there. Try processes, and see what happens. Refine by iteration.<p>Highly effective people are also very good at saying no. There's more interesting stuff to do, more demands on your time and resources, than anyone can possibly do. Learning to say no, quickly and firmly, is the best way to save your energy for the things that get a yes. Dabbling and dithering doesn't get work done. It wastes time and energy.<p>Wow, I should blog about this.