--- title: A Genie’s Wish - A Parable for Productivity description: A Parable for Productivity --- ![burger-icon](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/icons/burger-icon.svg) [![Kourosh Dini - Homepage](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/logos/kourosh-logo.svg)](https://www.kouroshdini.com) ![close-icon](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/icons/close-icon.svg) - [Blog page](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog) - [Podcast page](https://www.kouroshdini.com/podcast) - [Music page](https://www.kouroshdini.com/music) - [Courses & Books page](https://www.kouroshdini.com/courses-and-books) - [Psychoanalysis page](https://www.kouroshdini.com/psy) - [About page](https://www.kouroshdini.com/about) - [Contact page](https://www.kouroshdini.com/contact) - [Waves of Focus page](https://www.kouroshdini.com/waves-of-focus) ![Search](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/icons/search-icon.svg) [![at-icon](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/icons/at-icon.svg)](mailto:kmdini@gmail.com) [Return to Blog](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog) # A Genie’s Wish - A Parable for Productivity Jul 22, 2019 ![](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/blog%20image.webp) The story of a genie granting wishes is well known. A character stumbles upon a genie, wakes him from a deep slumber, and is offered 3 wishes. Somehow the wishes are too general in how they're asked, the genie grants by his own whim, the wishes do not meet the intentions behind them, and we leave the protagonist in states of regret, anger, and consternation. The lesson teaches not just what to do in case we run into a genie. (Probably respect forces greater than you and run.) Beyond that lesson, we can think about taking time to find clarity in our intentions. Wishes, after all, are seeds of intentions. Perhaps we haven't committed to them yet. But once we do, they become intentions. The more clear we are in what we want, *taking the time* to clarify it to ourselves, the more likely we can bring it into reality. We are more able to draft relevant next actions, focus where we want, and recognize opportunities when they present themselves. As a practice, during the decision phase of a session (See module 2 of *Being Productive.* [Free demo available here](https://gum.co/BPDemo)), we can take time to envision what it is we are setting out to accomplish. What is our primary intention? What are the things that might support it, but could also distract us, like researching? We can set these tasks aside in an Inbox for later addressing. When we are clear, we can sit with the work, ready for it to almost come to us, more so than we go to it. ![Divider](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/separator.svg) Share this article ## Recent Articles [![I'm Sorry. I Can't Do the Laundry. I Just Don't Have the Dopamine.](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/Im%20Sorry.%20I%20Cant%20Do%20the%20Laundry.%20I%20Just%20Dont%20Have%20the%20Dopamine-blog.jpg)](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog/adhd-productivity-dopamine-struggle) #### [I'm Sorry. I Can't Do the Laundry. I Just Don't Have the Dopamine.](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog/adhd-productivity-dopamine-struggle) Sep 18, 2026 Sorry, I can't do the laundry. I just don't have the dopamine. I saw this post on Instagram. It was funny. I l... ![Bottom card separator](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/faq/line-mobile.svg) [![You Don't Need Another List — You Need a Better Prompt](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/You%20Dont%20Need%20Another%20List%20%E2%80%94%20You%20Need%20a%20Better%20Prompt%20Blog.jpg)](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog/you-dont-need-another-list-you-need-a-better-prompt) #### [You Don't Need Another List — You Need a Better Prompt](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog/you-dont-need-another-list-you-need-a-better-prompt) Sep 11, 2026 Maybe I just need another list. Things are piling up, something slips. Deadlines creeping up. Project we were ... ![Bottom card separator](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/faq/line-mobile.svg) [![Single-Threading: AI, ADHD, and the Cost of Switching](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/Ep%2071%20Single-Threading-%20AI%20ADHD%20and%20the%20Cost%20of%20Switching.jpg)](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog/single-threading-ai-adhd-and-the-cost-of-switching) #### [Single-Threading: AI, ADHD, and the Cost of Switching](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog/single-threading-ai-adhd-and-the-cost-of-switching) Sep 04, 2026 Recently I've found myself bouncing around between eight or nine different open threads with my AI, choosing o... ![Bottom card separator](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/faq/line-mobile.svg) [Return to Blog](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog) ## Publications Over the years, I’ve written five main works on productivity. Sign up for the Weekly Wind Down newsletter to get free previews. ![Kourosh Dini courses](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/courses%20and%20books/books%20left.webp) ![Kourosh Dini books](https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/courses%20and%20books/books%20right.webp) [See all the publications](https://www.kouroshdini.com/courses-and-books) - [Kourosh Dini Instagram (opens in new window)](https://www.instagram.com/kouroshdinimd/) - [Kourosh Dini LinkedIn (opens in new window)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kouroshdini) - [Kourosh Dini X/Twitter (opens in new window)](https://x.com/kouroshdini) - [Kourosh Dini YouTube (opens in new window)](https://www.youtube.com/c/KouroshDini) ### Contact Us If you have a clinical matter, please call. For books and productivity matters, please email. - [1020 South Wabash Ave, Unit 4G, Chicago, IL 60605 (Opens Address in google Maps)](https://maps.app.goo.gl/7agnPcDjwB6PRNuX6) - [312-391-3171 (opens phone dialer)](tel:+13123913171) - [dinigroup@kouroshdini.com (Opens mail application)](mailto:dinigroup@kouroshdini.com) - [Home](https://www.kouroshdini.com/) - [Blog](https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog) - [Podcast](https://www.kouroshdini.com/podcast) - [Music](https://www.kouroshdini.com/music) - [Books & Courses](https://www.kouroshdini.com/courses-and-books) - [Psychoanalysis](https://www.kouroshdini.com/psy) - [About](https://www.kouroshdini.com/about) - [Contact](https://www.kouroshdini.com/contact) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.kouroshdini.com/privacy-policy) - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.kouroshdini.com/terms-and-conditions) © 2026 The Dini Group, Ltd. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Kourosh", "url" : "https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog/author/kourosh" }, "dateModified" : "2026-04-02T20:58:08.895Z", "datePublished" : "2019-07-22T15:00:49.000Z", "headline" : "A Genie’s Wish - A Parable for Productivity", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.kouroshdini.com/the-dini-group-ltd-blog/a-genies-wish-a-parable-for-productivity", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.kouroshdini.com/hubfs/logos/kourosh-logo.svg" } } } ```