Things I do to stay focused
Building systems that make deep work inevitable, not exhausting.
I used to think productivity was about willpower. But there I'd be at the end of another day, having accomplished nothing but scrolling through YouTube and Twitter, feeling that familiar guilt wash over me. The turning point came when I read that sustainable productivity isn't about willpower at all - it's about instilled routines and habits. That realization changed everything. Now when my focus is dialed in, deep work feels effortless and my output actually reflects my capabilities. Here are the systems I've built to make that happen consistently.
Life choices first
I work in a space that is clean, ordered, and quiet. One computer display, no piles of paper, nothing on the desk that isn’t in play for the current task. I reserve blocks on my calendar for deep work and defend them—door closed, phone away, colleagues know I’m working. Separate slots later in the day are open for brainstorming, Teams, or quick calls. This simple time zoning removes the constant “should I respond?” loop.
Core behaviors
Meditate daily. Ten minutes every morning trains the muscle that makes me notice my wandering mind and brings it back.
Defer ruthlessly. Anything that pops up and will take more than a minute goes on a list or into Pocket; I deal with it after I'm done with my current focus.
Disable all notifications. I disable notifications for every app I install. If an alert slips through and wasn’t worth it, it gets muted forever.
Keep email empty. I unsubscribe, block, or filter anything that isn’t actionable. The inbox stays quiet, so I only open it twice a day.
Take short breaks. I use Pomodoros and take short breaks between them; this helps me avoid burnout and reset my focus. I can always move immediately to the next pomo, but if I feel tired or ready to switch to another task, I always take a 5min break.
Reset energy. When motivation dips, I try, in order: changing the environment (balcony or coffee shop), switch to a lower-friction task, or dive in for five minutes—the resistance often melts & I find myself in deep work!
Digital minimalism
I limit myself to a handful of tabs and applications. If a script or model run will take time, I either optimize it or have a second high-value task ready that I can switch to (PS. I'm not that good at this right now). On macOS, I push everything to be snappy: max keyboard repeat rate, "Reduce motion" on, no automatic Space rearrange, `iTerm2` on a Ctrl-Space hotkey. The faster the system responds, the less chance I’ll drift while waiting.
Tools that have earned their keep for me:
Freedom blocks distracting sites and apps across all devices. I bought the lifetime plan; it’s paid for itself many times over.
uBlock wipes out ads and **Unhook** strips YouTube’s recommended feed and Shorts. The internet gets a lot quieter.
Pocket catches interesting articles with one click so they don’t hijack the current task.
Zotero does the same for research papers.
A plain text to-do list in Obsidian stays pinned on screen so I always see the single next action, not a forest of possibilities.
I think most of the value in this framework comes from testing it and tuning whatever doesn’t fit. Each setup will diverge, yet the gap between having a system and none at all is enormous. Treat the ideas above as a starter kit—keep whatever resonates and discard the rest. If even one habit sharpens focus, writing this was worthwhile!