Insights and tweaks to my Work Daily Routines
After spending some time using a Time Block planner and paying closer attention to how I kick off and wrap up my workdays, I've had some cool insights:
- Apps Aren’t the Culprit: The problem is almost never the apps I'm using, it is how I'm using the system and my own habits.
- Review Regularly: Things will fall through the cracks if I don’t do my reviews periodically.
- Time Blocker Magic: Planning the day with the Time Blocker has been a game-changer for maintaining focus. It’s totally fine to tweak the plan multiple times during the day (just like Cal Newport suggests).
- Shutdown Ritual: The end of day shutdown routine is non-negotiable—it guarantees a smooth transition from work mode to relaxation.
- The Nirvana app works like a charm for me, it's distraction-free, simple, light and powerful.
I renamed my start and end of day routines and now they look like this:
Morning: Plan the Day (do my Daily Review)
- ☀ Open physical notebook and insert the day
- ◕ Check Calendar: what do I need to do today? is there anything I need to prepare for?
- ⛳ Process Inboxes (E-mail, NirvanaHQ): Clarify: Is it actionable? What is the context – Organize: is it part of a project? Energy? Time?
- ✅ Check Next Actions List and move items to Focus list
- ⭐ Check and update my Focus List
- ⏰ Open my Time Block Planner and plan the day. Schedule time for defining work if needed
- ⚡ Engage: Filter context and begin work!
End of Day: Shutdown Routine
- Capture: Quick mind-sweep of tasks I failed to capture and add them to the Inbox.
- Process: Meeting Notes from the day.
- Check off any completed tasks.
- Review my Calendar for tomorrow: Do I need to prepare anything? What things do I want to achieve tomorrow? (Flag them to the ⭐Focus list, add notes on my Time Block Planner)
- Say to myself “Shutdown Complete!” and mark the checkbox on the Time Block Planner.
I added the morning Daily Review and the Shutdown routine to Nirvana as a daily recurring task. They show up in my Focus list every day:
Snapshot in time: What is on my Focus list today
These routines are inside the notes section in Nirvana as a checklist so I can check them off if I want to:
On some days, things go smoothly, and on others, chaos reigns.
On the good days, I take a solid 30 minutes to plan my schedule down to the nitty-gritty. But when chaos strikes on the bad days, I glance at my calendar, block off meeting times, and dive headfirst into urgent tasks. After lunch, I do a quick ‘post-mortem’ assessment, tweak my time blocker, and figure out where to focus my energy for the rest of the day.
I’ve learned that aiming for perfection is counterproductive. While checklists serve as a helpful template, I play it by ear and adapt as necessary.
One of the best insights I had this year is to embrace flexibility while still having some structure.
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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.