Hi Friend,

​In productivity, we worship efficiency. The fastest way to clear an inbox. The most automated way to track a project. The most frictionless method to organize our lives.

I’m going to suggest something different.

When it comes to your goals and plans, efficiency is the enemy.

I learned this the hard way last year. Trying to be hyper-efficient, I dictated my quarterly review and used AI to organize the text into a structured plan. The resulting document was thorough and efficiently produced.

It failed completely.

By skipping the struggle of manually organizing my thoughts, I hadn’t actually internalized the goals. The plan remained a digital file rather than a core part of my squishy human brain. The process of birthing the ideas is what makes them sink into your core.

I learned, again, that you cannot optimize the pursuit of virtue and character.

Much of the tech industry has monetized us as advertising units, designing tools that prioritize engagement and speed over our personal flourishing. Choosing to go intentionally slow is an act of rebellion. It’s the refusal to live your life randomly.

The world will try to bury you with petty nonsense. Everyone has good intentions when they ask for just one more little thing. But every “yes” to the unimportant is a “no” to what actually matters.

Solving for meaningfulness means giving yourself permission to ignore the siren song of doing more. It means taking an hour in the morning to read and reflect, or taking two days for a personal retreat, even when your inbox is screaming.

These aren’t inefficient uses of time. They’re the highest and best use of your life because they ensure you’re actually heading toward a destination that matters.

As we enter a new year, resist the temptation to optimize everything.

Some things deserve to be slow. That’s where the meaning lives.

Your pal,

David

P.S. I’m hard at work on a 2026 update to the Productivity Field Guide. Stay tuned.

​

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​Read this post on macsparky.com​

Shortform: Read More and Remember More in 2026
​(Newsletter Sponsor)

​This newsletter is sponsored by Shortform. If one of your goals for 2026 is to read more, let me share something that's helped me actually get more out of the books I finish.

I read a lot. The challenge isn't finding time to read. It's doing something with what I've read. I'd finish a book, feel vaguely inspired, then move on without changing anything. That's where Shortform has become genuinely useful.

I've been using it for over three years now, and what keeps me coming back isn't just the summaries. It's the exercises. After each chapter summary, they give you thoughtful questions to work through. Not quiz questions to test if you were paying attention. Real questions that make you apply the ideas to your own life. That's the difference between reading a book and actually learning from it.

The summaries come in three flavors. There's a quick overview if you want to know what a book is about before committing. A one-page summary that hits the main points. And a full guide that goes deep. I usually start with the overview, and if it hooks me, I'll read the full guide. Sometimes that's enough. Sometimes it convinces me to buy the book.

What I appreciate most is how they explain complicated ideas without dumbing them down. Books that would normally make my eyes glaze over become clear. They connect concepts across different books too, which helps you see patterns you'd miss otherwise.

The practical stuff works well. Everything syncs to Kindle and Readwise. You can download PDFs. They've added coverage of longform articles and current topics beyond just books, which has been handy for keeping up.

If you're setting reading goals for 2026, or you want to actually remember what you read this year, give Shortform a look. They're offering MacSparky readers $50 off at shortform.com/davidsparks.