Time & To-dos

Writing to-dos without the context of how much time and energy you have is like budgeting without the context of how much money you make and spend.

Block your time based on activities that fit your personal rhythms. Leverage that knowledge to build your daily to-dos against:

Routines like startup (first 30m of your day) and shutdown (last 30m of your day). These are excellent time blocks for checklist items like clearing notifications.

Focus Time for blocks of deep, uninterrupted focus. Find 60-120m blocks of time where you are most productive (energized), and work on high-impact tasks that require deep work.

Admin blocks for replying to emails and other administrative work. This type of work is suitable for lower energy levels.

Energy levels dictate your focus more than the blocks of time you have available. And your calendar and to-dos are interdependencies influenced by your energy levels.

This is what works for me. When you plan your day next, try this:

• Identify the ONE most important task to accomplish.
• Identify how much time and energy you have to put towards it.
• Reflect the work on your calendar.