I read Tranquility by Tuesday last year, and this idea stuck with me: “Effortful Fun Before Effortless Fun.”
The most straightforward kind of leisure time is, of course, scrolling on our phones or watching something, so Laura Venderkam argues that we can add a little bit of effortful fun when we feel too exhausted to do anything productive before using our screens every evening. For example, why not read a book for a few minutes, work on a puzzle, or get some crochet stitches done before? It’s like a small pre-requisite; you can’t check social media until you read a little. After your effortful fun activity, you will feel good, and those minutes will add up with time.
One effortful fun activity that I do is tracking some metrics on an app called Exist that provides nice analytics for me. I track my waking up time, for instance, and my writing and publishing habits, and most importantly, I set a rating for the day with some notes about it, just like a mini digital journal. Mood tracking has been my favorite part of this simple app since I started using it years ago. So, after I do all this tracking at night, I open social media or watch my favorite series.
Another effortful fun activity that I do is checking my book highlights on the Readwise app, which reminds me of favorite passages I highlighted on Kindle books I read, which Readwise directly imports from my Kindle, or famous quotes from audiobooks or paper books I read, which Readwise offers the option to manually add to my library. I feel inspired whenever I read these quotes and often share them with friends and family on WhatsApp or save them for my Sunday Spark readers.
I genuinely love these apps, and recommend trying them for some effortful fun or finding activities you would like to do more and placing them before these effortless scrolling/watching sessions.
Please note that the links provided in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them.
A student of mine asked me this question lately and I chose to answer it in this post for all of you to benefit.
Select the most important task(s) of the day.
First thing in the morning, select one to three tasks that need to get done by the end of the day.
Anything else you write will go under your might-do list, as Ali Abdaal calls it.
You are a pro if you choose these tasks before leaving work the day before to avoid morning brain fog syndrome.
2. Use the Time Blocking technique.
Allocate time for your selected priorities on your day’s schedule using the time blocking technique.
Draw three columns on a piece of paper.
In the first column, write the working hours in 30-minute increments, for example, 9:00-9:30, 9:30-10:00, and so on.
In the second column, write your planned work tasks in time blocks, for example, from 9:00-9:30 (check email) or 9:00-10:30 (run brainstorming session).
You need to have a mix of time blocks in the second column:
Focus blocks: this is when you work on your most important task of the day with no interruptions, whether they are self-started like when you check your email or phone or initiated by others like an unexpected office visit. Set a focus block for a minimum of 30 minutes to make progress and no longer than 90-120 minutes as your focus fades by the end.
Emails.
Calls
Administrative work that does not require your best focus, like filling sheets.
Breaks to stretch your legs, take a walk around, fill up your water bottle, have a bite away from your desk if possible, or socialize with your colleagues.
When you get interrupted by a call, a new task from your boss, or a quick drop-by from your colleague, you will know that these interruptions are replacing something you planned to do. That’s when you use the third column.
Use the third column to document what actually happened in your time block. If you did what you planned, add a checkmark; if not, write down what you did instead.
The Dos and Don’ts of Focus Blocks:
Prepare to focus by tackling three key areas; your phone, your PC, and your environment.
Your phone:
Do’s
Turn on Silent mode (forever).
Turn off Bluetooth so you will not receive notifications on your smartwatch if you have one.
Use an app like Forest to help you leave your phone alone during your focus block.
Use an app like my favorite for Android AppBlock to block attention-stealing apps during your focus blocks or working hours.
Put your phone in your drawer (it works like magic).
Should I even mention that you need to turn off all your notifications? I will say it to anyone who still needs to hear it.
Extra credit: Put your phone on no-disturb mode. This will allow certain people you save on a list to reach you, like your partner, your kid’s school, and your mum. When other people try to call you, they will hear the standard ringtone, but you won’t be notified until you turn off the no-disturb mode.
Better yet, close your web browser and don’t open it until your focus block ends. Unless…
Unless you are listening to focus music on your browser, in which case, I recommend you would listen to binaural music like this or my favorite go-to music (Brain FM) that I have been using since 2019.
Close your desktop email application.
You can use your shared digital calendar to block your focus sessions, so you will not receive meeting requests that collide with them.
Don’ts
Don’t listen to music with lyrics.
Don’t listen to instrumental music that might get you too emotional.
Your Environment:
Do’s
Invest in noise cancellation headsets like these, or wait until you get a good deal on them (like I did last year). I first used a cheaper model called Cowin E7 that is not currently on sale. It served me for two good years until its color changed with time.
Invest in a visual timer that will help you stay focused. Use it to work on tedious tasks for a limited time, say 10 minutes?
You could create a sign or a little chalkboard to signal you can’t talk now. Once on a deadline, I could not afford to get interrupted, so I wrote on my little chalkboard: “Come back after 2 PM, please”. It was perfect. Two things would happen when you use a sign; some people find a way to solve their issue, or if they really need you, they will show up at 2 PM for your support.
To turn focus blocks into a habit:
Track your focus blocks. Try to achieve a certain number of focus blocks, like four daily sessions, where the minimum session is 30 minutes.
Reward yourself with a little celebration after each focus block, such as saying “way to go!” to yourself. This little celebration is called Shine.
Make it a bit painful to get distracted. For example, decide that you will have to start over if you touch your phone or look at your email during a focus block.
Practice saying “not now, come back at ()” when you get interrupted by a non-urgent request.
Whenever you think of something you need the answer to right away, or so your brain thinks, write it down on a list to check later, after your block. I call it the no-distraction list.
P.S. I am grateful to Cal Newport and Scott Young for what they taught me about focus in their work and course Life of Focus.
It’s your turn; tell me what was the most valuable tip for you that you will apply right away?
When you timeblock your day first thing, you don’t have to think or decide what you should do next; the decision has been made by a saner, calmer version of you already. You simply need to look at your schedule and start working.
A rejuvenating weekend is key to a productive work/school week ahead.
Here are some tips to prepare for your weekends.
Check the weather; sunny weekends call for different plans than rainy ones.
Keep your partner or family members updated on your upcoming weekend plans at least two days ahead of the weekend and check in on their plans. I talk with my husband about the weekend on Wednesdays and let him know what I have in mind or already planned. If I have a morning of appointments or a night out with girlfriends planned out, he will make plans too. The same goes the other way around.
If you’re in the mood to go out somewhere nice as a couple, explicitly ask your partner and not leave it to chance.
Check IMDb ratings before watching a movie to have a pleasant movie night experience.
Check the expected homework load for the kids, which could impact family outings. In our household, we try to do most of the homework on weekends to have more leisurely evenings on school nights.
As much as possible, run your errands and appointments and shop for groceries on weekends, preferably in the morning. This way, you’ll get done faster and relieve yourself from wasting precious evenings during the workweek.
Make sure visiting your parents, if geographically possible, is accounted for in your weekend plans.
Weekends constitute 29% of your week. A well-spent weekend can renew your family bonds and help you make significant progress in your personal or home projects.
I did not sleep well because I stayed up too late having super quality time with my mastermind group. I took 2 walks to boost my energy and had lots of coffee today, which made me feel more alert, but still not focused enough for the analytical functions of my job. Therefore, I switched to my administrative tasks, the low-energy brain tasks, like following up on emails, data entry work, some inquiry calls I have been postponing and so on. Those tasks needed to be done by me, and today was the ideal day to cross them off.
We don’t lose the day because of our energy level, we simply re-design it, so we would still make meaningful progress.
Preparing for the Live session I hosted recently about GTD, it was fascinating for me to remember the first time I got in touch with Getting Things Done methodology, when I downloaded the audiobook online and listened to it on the mp3 USB player in my car.
It made so much sense to me that our brains are not meant for storage or to be offices. Our brains are meant for solving problems and for coming up with new ideas. In this interview, David Allen said that GTD does not help you create more time. It simply allows for more space in your brain to come up with creative solutions. We can’t do that when all the to-do lists are rattling in our head.
GTD also helps us be more present, because whenever we remember something we need to do, we simply write it down instantly, or feel assured that we already had captured it in the appropriate tool. It allows us to focus for longer periods of time, knowing that we are working on the right projects. It’s about building an external brain that we can trust to carry us forward towards our goals.
David Allen says, “You are not doing GTD if you are not doing your weekly reviews“. Which, I am happy to report, I have been religiously committed to since 2018.
There is still a room for a lot of improvement in the way I work and stay engaged with my notes and to-do lists. Doing this Live, however, got me more excited to work on my systems and making them work for me.
Working in a monthly-sales-target environment makes me even more aware of the beginnings and ends of months. Since last year, I got used to resetting myself every month by doing the monthly review exercise in which I reflect on the wins, lessons learned and goals progress during the past month, and also plan for the month ahead by adding important dates on calendar, scheduling some events and online content like my podcast episodes.
Today marks the beginning of a new quarter of the year, which gets me to another whole level of reviews. I love doing the quarterly reviews, and as I concluded before in April, I will take 2 weeks to do it properly and reset my goals for the coming 90 days. This is the way I believe each quarter should start.
Since it’s the mid-year mark too, I may need to re-visit some of the things that inspired me at the beginning of the year like my mantra of the year which is Practice Focused Attention.
Also, July is my birthday month, which means fun ahead, especially that many family members and friends are visiting for the first time in 2 years with the pandemic finally withdrawing.
I used to buy online courses in July that I didn’t finish, and thus developed a limiting belief for a while that “I don’t finish what I start”, only to realize later that it was not about me but the timing of those courses with respect to my life. It was simply not the right season. Therefore, I vowed not to create audacious goals for July anymore and just enjoy the flow of summer and the heightened social life that will be temporary up until most people travel back before schools start.
In order to honor this special month, I made 2 lists, let go list and keep list.
In July I want to let go of…
Waking up at 5AM because I will be staying up late most days.
Regular posting on Instagram (apart from stories), I will take a break.
Digital Rules: I will not apply strict mode when using social media this month. Most of my digital rules became habits anyway, like no Instagram before I leave the house in the morning.
In July I will keep…
15-minute morning meditation.
Daily one-sentence journal for my kids (I don’t like to see empty pages).
Five-minute gratitude journal.
Food journaling (I did not commit well in June).
Weekly 5-minute podcast episodes and of course newsletter.
Keep writing here at least 5 days a week. (Break in case of traveling only)read the update below
Doing less is a challenge for me. There are many items popping up in my head to add to the Keep List, however those are the only ones I want to track daily/weekly and the compass to a successful July.
It’s July 7th, and after reading the below email from Leo Babuta I felt this is exactly what I need. Therefore, I changed the point above about writing daily here. I am taking this month off. Anything I post would be a bonus.
I am still in the quarterly/birthday/mid-year reflective mode, plus summer fun family focused mode. Just to keep you in the picture, I am not taking off from everything, I still go to work every day.
See you soon.
Returning to Practices
I mentioned recently that I took the month of June off, and have just come back to work … what that means is restarting my regular routines & practices.
This has me reflecting on the act of re-starting something like a meditation practice, exercise routine, or work routine.
It can be tough for a lot of us when we get derailed and have to re-start. We can feel discouraged, because we have some idea that we should have not stopped or gotten interrupted, that something is wrong with us for not sticking to it (once again).
I say toss out that idea. It’s not so helpful.
Starting again is a part of the process. And the process is never over — you don’t form a habit or do a practice and then forget about it. You have to give it your focus, fully, and then give it your focus again when you get sidetracked. Just like returning to your breath in meditation after you’ve gotten distracted. Again and again, we come back.
Instead of thinking of it as a frustrating task to start again, we might think of it as returning home.
I wish you a continual returning home, for life. gratefully,
Finally, I got to feel that summer break has officially started as we enjoyed the first full weekend without any due homework or assessments to prepare for. I feel like the Universe created new hours, wrapped them up, and offered them in a shiny box for me. I am grateful for the gift of time.
I slept more, played with my kids more, and happily got overdue chores done. Please note the word “happily”.
Maybe not all summer weekends will feel as blissful. I am just taking the time, here is that word again, to honor the freedom to create our own schedules for the coming weeks.
Yesterday I shared about my whiteboard, a key element in my office that inspires me.
Today, I will share what I also keep at my desk in front of me at all times:
On cardboard paper:
My Work Goals for the quarter (it’s very important to keep your goals visible)
My work affirmations (added just recently).
I am committed to being a leader, an initiator, an over-communicator and fast deliverer at my job.
I am committed to getting better and better at my job.
I am committed to communicating clearly and effectively.
I am committed to giving generously to others, the more I give, the more I receive and the happier I feel.
I am committed to expanding in abundance, success and love and inspiring others to do the same
On post-it notes:
My mantra of the Year: Practice Focused Attention. Maybe I need to rephrase into a question: Are you practicing focused attention? Much more powerful, no?
My workday startup ritual steps, including the check-in questions.
My workday shutdown ritual steps, including the check-out questions.
Since writing my ritual steps on post-its last month I’ve been committing to them more. In addition, I set an alarm 30 minutes before workday end to remind me to start my shutdown ritual and leave on time.
I hope you find this helpful to you.
Snapshot from my work desk showing some of the above
When I read Better than Before book by Gretchen Rubin, I learned so many helpful tips and tricks, one of them is Power Hour for nagging tasks and this is how she defines them:
With this hour, I’d tackle only tasks where I had no deadline, no accountability, no pressure—because these were the tasks that weren’t getting addressed. That’s another Secret of Adulthood: Something that can be done at any time is often done at no time. -Gretchen Rubin
According to Getting Things Done book, if a task takes less than 2 minutes do it now. If it takes more, write it down to free up mental space and have the list accessible to you to use whenever you have some time free time or for your weekly power hour. Gretchen downsized this rule in her one-minute rule in her book The Happiness Project.
Sometimes I have no idea how long a nagging task would take, so I use a stopwatch to time it and find out and most probably laugh at myself afterwards for all the times I felt burdened by it.
A recent example is when I wanted to add a subscription option to my blog but didn’t know how, so I set the stopwatch. It only took me 10 minutes to make it happen and I felt lighter after.
Another tip is that you can set a timer and decide beforehand that if the time is up and the task is not complete yet it is perfectly ok to stop the task too, or, if you get some momentum going, keep at it until it is complete.
