For most of my career, productivity was the ultimate scorecard.
How many projects have we completed? How many hours did we work? How fast we delivered.
At WillStar Media, a content strategy & production company, I lived by that mindset.
Every process I designed, every new tool I implemented… all aimed at one thing: producing more.
But over time, I noticed a paradox.
The more efficient we became, the less space there was to breathe.
Every saved minute was instantly filled with another task, another deadline, another “quick call.”
It took me a while to realise that efficiency without space isn’t progress – it’s just acceleration.
That realisation changed how I look at technology and productivity.
Now, I don’t measure success by output alone. I measure how much free time a system gives back – to think, recharge, or simply enjoy life outside of work.
At WillStar, we’ve started to adopt tools with that philosophy in mind:
– Automated pre-production templates – repetitive tasks that once took hours now take minutes.
– AI-assisted scheduling and note-taking – fewer last-minute scrambles.
– Collaborative dashboards – better visibility, fewer unnecessary check-ins.
These changes didn’t just make us faster – they made us lighter.
And for me, that’s the real mark of progress.
Today, I still care deeply about results. But my definition has evolved.
If our team can meet deadlines and have time for rest, reflection, or family… that’s a genuine win.
I’m curious… what’s one tool or habit that’s helped you gain time, not just save it?