Hi, I’m Duncan Jones. I write about productivity and work/life balance.
I’ve been fascinated by these topics since I began my career in 2007. I had completed seventeen years of education, and nobody taught me how to work effectively. How should I tackle email? What does a great meeting look like? How do I schedule my work each day? It seemed to be left to the individual to explore.
I was surprised that most of my colleagues weren’t interested. They turned up and did their best every day without considering if they were following an optimal approach. I was surrounded by busy, hardworking people, but I wondered if they were falling short of their potential.
Since those early days, I’ve consumed countless books and podcasts, all focused on productivity. I’ve tested the suggestions and discarded the ones that didn’t feel right. Over time, I’ve settled on a way of working productively that makes sense for me.
Equally as important as working hard was not working all day. Soon after I started working, I had a young family that I was keen to return to. Since then, I’ve ensured that working late is the exception, not the rule. Half the point of these productivity tactics is to get enough done during a normal working day and have dinner with my family.
However, the experimentation hasn’t stopped, which brings us to this website. I’m writing down what I’m trying and learning. I hope you find it helpful as you strive to balance hard work with a meaningful life outside of work.
Please experiment and see what works for you. Good luck.