# Sam Altman - Productivity (Highlights) ![rw-book-cover|256](https://rdl.ink/render/https%3A%2F%2Fblog.samaltman.com%2Fproductivity%2F) > [!summary] Progressive Summary > - Independent thinking. [[#^880130707]] ## Highlights - Picking the right thing to work on is the most important element of productivity and usually almost ignored. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jsb9ppwg7k1fensh8dkjhxjx)) ^880130655 - If you find yourself always agreeing with whomever you last spoke with, that’s bad. You will of course be wrong sometimes, but develop the confidence to stick with your convictions. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jsb9qv640qy8t57e3nprfrr5)) ^880130707 - My system has three key pillars: “Make sure to get the important shit done”, “Don’t waste time on stupid shit”, and “make a lot of lists”. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jsb9vknzfgq0gy99q6hjt2y8)) ^880131634 - I re-transcribe lists frequently, which forces me to think about everything on the list and gives me an opportunity to add and remove items. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jsb9wk532kstynxe5xr2hvqq)) ^880131673 - I like to start and end each day with something I can really make progress on. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jsb9xggbjat6p0fa3t0caqd9)) ^880131702 - I find most meetings are best scheduled for 15-20 minutes, or 2 hours. The default of 1 hour is usually wrong, and leads to a lot of wasted time. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jsb9zcr99gbdgs1mbcbt9b63)) ^880131735 - Many people spend too much time thinking about how to perfectly optimize their system, and not nearly enough asking if they’re ==working on the right problems==. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jsba0syc568fhtn4ggk8xqd3)) ^880131769 - The right goal is to allocate your year optimally, not your day. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jsba176wxfw0wxhh15r15yer)) ^880131778 - Don’t neglect your family and friends for the sake of productivity—that’s a very stupid tradeoff (and very likely a net productivity loss, because you’ll be less happy). ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jsbaaxbwh6666rdr5xrmse6y)) ^880132167