Yesterday was one of those days when I forgot to follow the advice I share here. I spent most of a long, long work day responding to emails and checking off nagging but comparatively insignificant to-dos, all in an effort to mentally clear the decks and focus on 2-3 big, difficult projects that needed attention. Here’s what I had to show for that effort at the end of that day:

1. I didn’t get to the important work.
2. I didn’t have any feeling of relief or accomplishment.
3. I still had the stress of the more important work hanging over me.

So for me, and maybe even for some of you, here’s an important reminder: the total number of hours you work (or for students, how many hours you study) is a meaningless measure of your productivity. Nobody—your teacher, your boss, your-co-workers, your customers, etc. cares. And neither should you.

The better measure: what was the value of the work you got done today?

If you’re in the same camp of occasionally slipping into the hourly measures, here are some past posts with some helpful links to get you—and me—re-focused.