You strive to get bigger, richer, add more features, provide more services, find more clients, hire more people, optimize conversions, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. That’s productivity. Serendipity on the other hand requires anti-productive practices like taking big risks, persevering in a seemingly unsuccessful endeavor, talking to strangers, turning off the phone, reading fiction, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Until you’re focused on squeezing every bit of productivity out of your days you’ll be left with little space for serendipity because it can’t be planned for, optimized, or iterated upon. It happens the way it happens, and only once. Get there too early, or too late and you’ve missed it. Forever.