Beyond the Mona Lisa: 5 Life-Changing Productivity Lessons from Leonardo da Vinci's Mind

Leonardo da Vinci's life exemplifies how to lead a creative and authentic existence. Learning about Leonardo has enhanced my perspective and revealed new ways of perceiving the world. His story holds value for everyone. In this article, I will outline five lessons from Leonardo's life that we can apply to our own.

Maintain a “To-Learn” List just like Leonardo da Vinci did

We generally maintain to-do lists, but have you ever considered the benefits of keeping a "to-learn" list? Leonardo typically began his day by writing down things he wanted to learn. He noted curiosities such as understanding the tongue of a woodpecker, why the sky is blue, and how light creates shadows.

This might seem unusual initially, but maintaining a to-learn list lets your mind focus on things you might otherwise forget. For instance, someone working in artificial intelligence might list topics like how optimizers or neural networks function. These learning goals don't need to relate directly to your field—sometimes, exploring ideas outside your discipline can benefit you indirectly, as discussed in the "Connect Dots" section. Maintaining a to-learn list also encourages your mind to consider concepts you need to understand, expanding your intellectual reach.

We can dedicate five to ten minutes each morning to identify what we're curious about and then spend our day pursuing these learning objectives. We might discuss topics with colleagues, watch documentaries, read articles, research papers, and more.

Be a Polymath

In the modern world, knowledge across vast domains is often discouraged. We're constantly told to focus on one field and excel in it. There's a common saying: "Jack of all trades, master of none"—suggesting that pursuing multiple interests leads to mediocrity.

Leonardo da Vinci challenges this perspective. Though renowned for his paintings, he actively pursued mathematics, anatomy, architecture, engineering, botany, geology, astronomy, cartography, and more. At times, he abandoned painting for years to study human anatomy. In one job application to a king, he described himself as "an engineer first and an artist later."

From a broader perspective, this approach makes perfect sense. His exploration of diverse fields led to innovation in his painting. Like Leonardo, if we become proficient in different domains, we gain a competitive advantage—seeing connections and possibilities that specialists might miss. The key is to follow genuine curiosity and not fear crossing traditional boundaries.

Observation Is The Key

Leonardo was exceptionally observant. He noticed details others would overlook, and this keen observation translated directly into his artworks. For instance, he recognized that water eddies resemble human hair curls—using this natural inspiration, he created artworks with remarkably lifelike curls.

He also carefully studied how light interacts with physical objects in the real world. Leonardo noticed that objects don't have fixed boundaries; instead, they appear to merge with their surroundings and are softened by atmospheric effects. This observation led to his development of the famous "sfumato" technique, where he avoided hard lines between objects and instead blended them. This technique is evident in the Mona Lisa, where the subject's facial features have no distinct boundaries and seem to blend, creating the mysterious effect we still marvel at today.

We can enhance every aspect of our lives by deeply observing our surroundings and examining what is beneath the surface. We can train ourselves to look at things that most people, including us, ignore.

Procrastination is Good Sometimes for Productivity

We've often been told that not doing something "productive" means wasting time. I disagree with this, and Leonardo did too. Many critics claimed Leonardo wasted time when he focused on human anatomy instead of painting new artworks. However, they failed to understand that this "wasted time" indirectly benefited his artistic creations.

One of the significant reasons Leonardo's drawings are unique is his ability to portray human subjects with lifelike anatomy. His work emphasized realistic muscle and vein structures, creating genuinely authentic representations of human anatomy. So the “wasted time” was actually “productive” time.

Periodically, we should step away from monotonous work that appears productive and invest time in understanding concepts that strengthen our fundamentals. There's value in occasional boredom—it allows our subconscious mind to nurture creativity.

Dots Will Eventually Connect

If I had to identify one thing that made Leonardo exceptional, it would be his ability to connect dots. He saw connections in situations where others found none. For example, he linked optics with painting and mathematical perspective with artistic representation, creating works with remarkable realism and depth.

Leonardo applied his knowledge of bird anatomy and flight mechanics to design his famous flying machine, demonstrating how nature's solutions could inspire human innovation. Steve Jobs exhibited a similar quality. In his renowned Stanford address, Jobs noted that "you cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward." He explained how dropping out of college allowed him to take classes that truly interested him. One is calligraphy—a seemingly impractical pursuit that later became the foundation for the beautiful typography in Macintosh computers.

Sometimes, you must trust that the dots will connect in your future and pursue your natural curiosities, even when they appear impractical. Life often presents itself as a series of disconnected experiences, but when viewed in retrospect, everything suddenly makes sense.

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