Use your calendar as a control panel. Deep work first, admin later.
Goal: Time blocking Workdays/week: 5 Start time: 09:00 Deep blocks/day: 2 × 75 min Admin container: 30 min/day
- If it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist. - Protect your first deep block. - Batch shallow work into a small container.
- Workdays/week: 5. - Start time: 09:00. - Deep blocks/day: 2 × 75 minutes. - Admin/shallow container: 30 minutes/day. - No multitasking inside a block. - If a block is missed, reschedule within 48 hours.
- 1) 5 min plan: choose ONE outcome for the first block. - 2) Deep blocks: 2 × 75 minutes (no context switching). - 3) Admin container: 30 minutes (emails, messages, scheduling). - 4) Shutdown: write next step + close loops (5 minutes).
- Daily: did first deep block happen? (yes/no) - Weekly: deep blocks completed - Weekly: biggest distraction source (self-report)
- Did the calendar reflect reality? What keeps slipping? - Which block produced the most value? Protect it. - Reduce friction: prep environment and inputs the night before. - Schedule next week’s deep blocks now.