Doing work that requires thought.
WHY IT MATTERS
Substantial work requires sustained attention, and attention is what is scarce.
WHAT PREVENTS IT
Interruption Switching between tasks Fatigue Notifications Working in fragments
WHY SWITCHING COSTS SO MUCH
Returning to a task requires rebuilding context, and it takes time.
WHAT THAT MEANS
Doing several things alternately takes longer than doing them in sequence.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Blocks of time for single tasks.
HOW LONG
Long enough to make progress, short enough to sustain.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE STARTING
Remove the interruptions you control Decide what you are doing Have what you need
WHY DECIDING FIRST
Beginning without a defined task produces drift.
WHAT TO DO WITH DISTRACTING THOUGHTS
Write them down and return to the work.
WHY
They recur otherwise, and the note releases them.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT TIMING
When you work best.
WHY
Attention varies through the day, predictably for most people.
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR BEST HOURS
Protect them for the most demanding work.
WHAT TO PUT IN LOWER-ENERGY PERIODS
Administration, routine work, correspondence.
WHY THAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE SCHEDULING DECISION
It aligns capacity with demand.
WHAT TO AVOID
Spending your best hours on messages.
WHAT TO TAKE
Breaks.
WHY
Sustained concentration degrades, and continuing produces poor work slowly.
