The productivity concepts behind intentional daily work
Research-backed explanations of the concepts that underpin good daily planning: deep work, time blocking, focus sessions, context switching, ultradian rhythms, and more.
What Is Time Blocking? The Complete Guide
Time blocking is the practice of assigning specific tasks to dedicated time slots in your calendar. Learn how it works, who it's for, and how to start today.
Read explanation →What Is Deep Work? Definition, Examples, and How to Do It
Deep work is professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration. Learn the concept, its benefits, and how to build a deep work practice.
Read explanation →What Are Focus Sessions? How to Structure Deep Work Periods
A focus session is a structured period of concentrated work with a clear task, defined duration, and outcome review. Learn how to run them effectively.
Read explanation →Commitment Tracking: Building Habits Through Daily Accountability
Commitment tracking is the practice of making explicit daily promises and honestly recording whether you kept them. Learn how it differs from habit tracking and why it works.
Read explanation →Daily Reflection: The Practice That Compounds Your Learning
Daily reflection is the practice of reviewing your workday with intention. Research shows it improves performance by 23%. Learn how to build the habit.
Read explanation →Pomodoro Technique: How It Works and When to Use It
The Pomodoro Technique uses 25-minute focused work intervals with 5-minute breaks to build concentration and reduce mental fatigue. Here's how it works and when it helps.
Read explanation →Context Switching: The Hidden Productivity Killer
Context switching is the mental cost of shifting attention between tasks. Research shows it can reduce productive output by up to 40%. Learn why it happens and how to reduce it.
Read explanation →Single-Tasking: The Science Behind Focusing on One Thing
Single-tasking is the practice of focusing on one task at a time. Research consistently shows it outperforms multitasking for quality, speed, and cognitive health.
Read explanation →Attention Residue: Why Your Mind Can't Fully Switch Tasks
Attention residue is the portion of your attention that stays stuck on a previous task after you've moved on. Learn the science and how to reduce its impact.
Read explanation →Maker Schedule vs. Manager Schedule: Paul Graham's Insight Explained
Paul Graham's maker/manager schedule framework explains why the same meeting that's routine for a manager is catastrophic for a maker. Learn how to protect your maker time.
Read explanation →Shutdown Ritual: How to End Your Workday With Intention
A shutdown ritual is a structured end-of-day sequence that closes open loops, signals work completion, and protects evening recovery. Here's how to build one.
Read explanation →Energy Management: Scheduling Work Around Your Energy Levels
Energy management is the practice of matching task type to energy level throughout the day. Learn how to stop treating energy as a constant and start scheduling around it.
Read explanation →Outcome-Based Planning: Planning Around Results, Not Tasks
Outcome-based planning starts with the result you want and works backward to the actions that produce it. Learn how it changes your daily planning process.
Read explanation →Intentional Productivity: Working With Purpose, Not Just Volume
Intentional productivity is the practice of choosing what to focus on, how to spend your energy, and when to stop — based on values rather than defaults.
Read explanation →Time Boxing: The Productivity Method That Adds Constraints to Beat Parkinson's Law
Time boxing assigns a fixed maximum time to each task, using constraint to defeat Parkinson's Law. Learn how it differs from time blocking and when to use each.
Read explanation →Daily Intentions: How to Start Every Day With Clarity
Setting a daily intention gives your day a cognitive anchor before reactive demands take over. Learn how intentions differ from tasks and how to use them effectively.
Read explanation →Flow State: What It Is and How to Create the Conditions for It
Flow state is complete absorption in a challenging task. Learn the conditions that produce it, how long it takes to reach, and what destroys it.
Read explanation →Time Audit: How to Measure Where Your Time Actually Goes
A time audit involves tracking where your time actually goes for 1–2 weeks. It's often shocking and almost always actionable. Here's how to run one.
Read explanation →Ultradian Rhythms: Your Brain's Natural Focus Cycles
Ultradian rhythms are biological focus cycles of roughly 90–120 minutes. Aligning your work sessions to these cycles can dramatically improve cognitive output quality.
Read explanation →Friction in Productivity: What Slows You Down and How to Remove It
Friction in productivity refers to the accumulated obstacles — meetings, interruptions, context switching — that reduce output quality and increase cognitive cost. Learn to identify and reduce it.
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