Rethink how you approach productivity and settling [Video]

Reducing distractions. Obsessing over your checklist. Clearing out your workspace. Chewing gum.

A lot of people swear that these and other productivity hacks will help you get on top of your responsibilities and gain control of your time. They all left author and time management researcher Oliver Burkeman “pretty disillusioned,” he tells CNBC Make It.

If you feel like you’re constantly trying to optimize your life, Burkeman has a counterintuitive piece of advice: Get comfortable with settling instead, he said on a recent episode of LinkedIn’s “Everyday Better with Leah Smart” podcast.

The word “settling” usually has a negative connotation to it, like settling for a job you don’t love because it pays more, or for a relationship you’re lukewarm about because you don’t want to hurt the other person.

But settling can be good when it comes to your time, said Burkeman, author of the New York Times bestselling self-help book, “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals,” which he worked …