How much did you get done today? How much of it helped you progress your long-term goals? “Cheap productivity” is my term for when we do a task that—although useful and productive—enables us to put off some more important or daunting task. Often, it takes the form of relatively easy, minor pieces of work such as answering emails or tidying the house, but it can be virtually anything that’s easier and offers a faster reward than the task you’re putting off. In this new article on the Reason for Living Substack, I talk about how to mitigate this tendency and ensure that your productive time advances your long-term goals.