Optimize for output, not input

I’ve always wanted to be as productive as possible. I’ve read all the “10 things you should do to be more productive” blog posts. Yes, all of them. Most of them focus on the same so-called hacks that will help you get more shit done during the day. Like working out before 7AM, meditating and setting goals for yourself. You know, that type of stuff.

While most of these hacks are great (and certainly help!), I’ve come to realize one thing that really makes a difference: Optimizing for output, not input. Let me give you an example:

Typically, I would arrive at the office and open my to-do list. Indiscriminately, I would find the task that seemed most important at the moment and start working. The result of the task — the output — never crossed my mind. I focused on getting shit done. Being productive. Getting it off the list and then on to the next one. Checking things off feels great.

However, reading Andrew Grove’s book High Output Management makes me realize how stupid this is. Measuring my productivity by how many tasks I can check off my to-do list and how fast I can get to inbox zero aren’t necessarily going to move the business forward. How could I be sure all the tasks were generating a useful output? Is that meeting really necessary? What am I doing right now that is really helping the company grow and get more users?

By asking myself these simple questions and focusing on the output instead of the input, I can easily remove 30–40% of the tasks I would otherwise have spent time on. Now I focus on things that actually generate the output I want: new customers, more revenue, more growth.

The best thing about this approach is that I now have a great framework for decision-making. I know when to say no. I reach my goals much faster because I now focus on the goal rather than the task.

I know this sounds easier than it is. I am not there yet and I guess there will always be room for improvement. There’s a ton of different ways to go about this and here’s what I’ve found working for me:

Set goals with focus on output

If you don’t know where you are going and what you want to achieve, generating the right output is going to be hard. This is the case for your team at work but definitely also for yourself. The difference between a goal with focus on output vs. input would be something like:

Focus on input: “Reach out to 30 leads in August and ask for a meeting.”
Focus on output: “Set up 10 meetings in August.”

Which of these two goals do you think has the best chance of ending up with 10 meetings in August? Focusing on the output will give you the results you want.

Track your progress

Check in once a week and once a month to see how you and your team are progressing. I bet you will see a significant change in the amount of useful output very soon. We’re using Lattice to keep track of each other’s goals and progress. It gives the team a great deal of transparency so everyone knows what their team mates are working on and why. For personal goal-setting I am just using a simple Google sheet.

Say no

The great thing about setting goals and focusing on output is that you now know when your time is well spent. It forces you to ask yourself if the things on your to-do list are really that important or if it was smarter to spend your time picking up the phone and calling your customers. Some people will get offended when you decline a meeting or don’t have time to grab that cup of coffee, but they will often understand when you tell why.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a work in progress. You will get better every day. Soon you will experience the feeling of real productivity (sounds too good to be true, right?)