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August 19, 2024 • 9 mins

3 Lessons 💡

  1. One Project, One Priority per day
    • To do great work you need to do deep work. And to do deep work, you need to focus on one thing at a time. This way you’re able to give all of your concentration into one project at a time, and thus go deeper into each subject. It reduces the number of times your mind needs to change topics
    • So instead of trying to multitask or work on multiple projects on the same day, pick one project and obsess over it for the entire day.
  2. No Meeting Mondays
    • This is a simple, yet effective tip: Don’t schedule any meetings on Mondays.
      • You can implement this tip by suggesting any other day when someone tries to set up a meeting with you on Monday.
    • The benefit of this is that it allows a more gradual transition from the weekend into work schedule. Other days, of course, could also work just as well.
    • The key to this idea is maintaining some block of peace amid an otherwise cluttered and chaotic calendar.
  3. Keep two lists for your projects: Active and On Hold
    • Three of the main points of the book include:
      • Do Fewer Things (at once)
      • Work at a Natural Pace
      • Obsess over quality.
    • Cal recommends only creating a higher level strategic plan and at the start of each week identify the few central projects that will make a positive impact in your work.
    • To support this goal, Cal recommends tracking all projects that you've committed to on two lists: Active and On Hold (format is flexible; ideal scenario allows for people to check their project status in real time). He recommends your active list having at most three projects.
    • When someone asks you to complete another obligation, respond with the following: 1) A request for additional details you need from that person before you start the project, 2) A count of the number of existing projects already on your list, 3) An estimate of when you expect to complete this new work.
    • To keep this system running, once weekly, it's recommended to fill in the most important or urgent projects from your holding list to your active list. You also want to make sure that you communicate about projects that you are not going to complete by your estimated timeline.

3 Actions ✅

  1. Pick only 1 project to work each day and make that your priority.
  2. Avoid scheduling meetings on Mondays (or a specific day each week) so you can ease into the work week.
  3. Create Active and On Hold project lists. Only have three projects active at a time

Helpful Links:

Book Mentioned: "Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment without Burnout" by Cal Newport

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