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Are morning people more productive than night owls? Do successful people have to give up work-life balance? Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman and time management expert Laura Vanderkam busted some of the biggest productivity myths at the Fast Company Innovation Festival.

10 productivity myths you shouldn’t believe

Scott Barry Kaufman (left) and Laura Vanderkam (right) [Photo: Samir Abady for Fast Company]

BY Anisa Purbasari Horton1 minute read

The most productive people are early risers. You should learn to eliminate procrastination. Stress is terrible for productivity.

You’ve probably come across many of these statements in productivity articles (some of which were probably in Fast Company). But as psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman and time management expert Laura Vanderkam told the audience at the Fast Company Innovation Festival, some of the most commonly cited productivity principles are not always correct. Or they are true, but there’s more to the statement. For example, Vanderkam says that while research might show morning people do better in tests as kids and get better jobs as adults, it’s not because they are naturally more productive, it’s because the world is set up to reward them.

[Photo: Samir Abady for Fast Company]
In a bonus live episode ofSecrets of The Most Productive People, my cohost Kate Davis and I speak to Vanderkam and Kaufman about some of the most common productivity myths and where they come from. You can find the episode onApple Podcasts,Google Play, Stitcher,Spotify,RadioPublic, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please stay subscribed as we’ll be back for season two with more productivity-related content in early 2019.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anisa Purbasari Horton is a contributing writer for Fast Company. She has written about the intersection of work and life, psychology, money, and leadership for more than 7 years More


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