Tips for Scheduling Deep Work Sessions

At the end of 2023, I hated my calendar…. So I ripped it apart, and started fresh. Here's what I did to make my calendar work for me, not the other way around. 1) Map out your dreams - created a new calendar in gcal - literally called it my "Calendar Map" - and planned out what my dream week would look like. Thought about what I wanted in a great week (for me that was time for deep work in the afternoons, a couple mornings where I don't have calls before 10am, stacking my 1:1's next to each other, etc). Everything went in there, from workouts, to networking calls/coffee chats, to recurring team meetings and 1:1s. If it's not on your calendar, you're not prioritizing it. 2) The Purge - In January, Stacker went through a Calendar Purge. Inspired by Shopify, we deleted ALL meetings on everyone's calendar, and then 24 hours later allowed people to repopulate, but it gave everyone a chance to rethink each meeting, and equally importantly gave me a chance to reorganize things according to my calendar map. 3) Refresh - There were 2 really important things when it came to repopulating my calendar    a) question everything - does that 1:1 need to be weekly, or could it be bi-weekly? is that recurring meeting we set up 6 months ago still necessary?      b) use the map - 1:1s used to be sporadic throughout my week, now I have a block of them, which allows me to better prep and mentally show up for people. My calendar used to look like a zebra with random 30 minute free blocks interspersed between meetings. Now I have blocks for calls, and blocks for creative/deep work. I can't stick to this 100% of the time, but it has made scheduling things a lot easier, and acts as a good reminder/reinforcement of what I aspire for each week to look like, versus just succumbing to whatever gets thrown my way. Would highly (HIGHLY) recommend this to anyone who feels like their calendar runs them, and not the other way around. Inertia is strong, and a refresh can help shock the system.

Distraction isn't just interruption. It's theft. It steals your best work, your deepest thoughts, your breakthrough moments. Here's what research reveals about your focus: 1. The Cost of Context Switching • 23 minutes to refocus after each distraction • 40% less productivity when multitasking • 2.1 hours lost daily to interruptions 2. The Deep Work Formula • 90 minutes uninterrupted = 1 flow state • 4 hours maximum deep work per day • Rest enhances, not reduces, output 3. The Distance Rule • Keep phone 20 feet away = 26% focus boost • Notifications off = 56% fewer task switches • Silent mode isn't enough. Out of sight is key 4. The Focus Stack • Environment shapes behavior • Behavior creates habits • Habits determine outcomes • Outcomes define legacy 5. The 3-3-3 Method • 3 major tasks • 3 hours of pure focus • 3 breaks between sessions Mastery isn't about time management. It's about attention management. Guard your focus like your future depends on it. Because it does. ♻️ Share this with someone whose genius is hiding behind distractions 🔔 Follow Kabir Sehgal for science-backed insights on peak performance

As an academic, I know how easy it is to feel pulled in a million directions. Between teaching, research, meetings, and deadlines, the distractions are endless. I struggled with this for the longest time until I discovered the power of deep, focused work. It changed everything. Now, instead of juggling tasks, I commit to structured, focused work sessions. Here’s what helped me, and it might just help you too: 1. Set Clear Priorities ↳ Know exactly what needs your attention before you start the day. For me, it’s the key research tasks that move the needle. 2. Time Block Your Tasks ↳ Allocate specific blocks of time for uninterrupted work. Teaching prep? 8-9 PM and 5-7 AM. Research? 1-3 PM. Editorial and industry engagement work? Fridays. No distractions. 3. Eliminate Distractions ↳ I turn off all notifications—emails, texts, you name it. A quiet workspace is the foundation of deep work. 4. Work in Sprints ↳ The Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes work, 5-minute breaks) has been a real game-changer. It keeps my energy and focus up all day. 5. Review and Adjust ↳ At the end of the day, I reflect on what worked and make tweaks for tomorrow. This small habit keeps me improving. If you’re feeling stretched thin, try making deep, focused work a priority this week. The results—both in productivity and peace of mind—will speak for themselves. Wishing you all a focused and productive week! #mondaybits #deepwork #FutureProofYourLeadership #focus #productivity

Want to know why top performers close 2-3x more deals than average reps? It's not that they're smarter. It's that they've mastered deep work. After studying hundreds of high-performing sellers, I've found one consistent pattern: They protect their prime selling hours like their life depends on it. Most reps are drowning in shallow work, constantly switching between email, Slack, CRM updates, and social media. Each task switch costs you 23 minutes of focused energy. The result is a day filled with activity but empty of results. Here's how innovative sellers are implementing deep work: 1️⃣ Power Blocks They schedule 90-minute uninterrupted blocks for their most important selling activities. No email. No Slack. No phone. Just focused execution on revenue-generating work. 2️⃣ Energy Management They align their most important tasks with their peak energy hours. For most, that's 9-11 AM, not 3 PM after back-to-back meetings. 3️⃣ AI-Powered Prep They leverage AI to prepare for sales calls in half the time. "I feed the AI my call notes, recent news, and past objections. It gives me a hyper-focused prep document in 5 minutes instead of 45." 4️⃣ Elimination Before Optimization Before trying to get faster at tasks, they ask: "Does this task even need to exist?" You can't optimize what should be eliminated. 5️⃣ Digital Minimalism They turn off all notifications during selling hours. No Slack pings. No email popups. No LinkedIn alerts. The sellers implementing these practices aren't working more hours. They're just getting 3x more value from the hours they work. Most sales organizations obsess over activity metrics while ignoring the quality of focus behind them. What would happen if you protected just one 90-minute deep work block every day?

Back-to-back meetings can crush your week. Your calendar is packed.  Your focus is shredded. Your 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 work slides to Friday. What if one weekday had ZERO meetings? 🟢 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀: → No-Meeting Wednesday is a team rule. → One day with no standing meetings. → Use it for deep work, planning, and decisions. → Plenty of companies try one focus day each week. → They report more output and calmer teams. 🔵 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: → Less bouncing between tasks. → Better thinking time. → Cleaner handoffs. → Less burnout risk. → You finish the work you start. 🟣 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝘁: → Pick the day and protect it on the shared calendar. → Set the rules: no recurring meetings, emergencies only. → Shift updates to async notes or a short Loom. → Limit Slack and email pings. Try quiet hours. Measure results: docs shipped, stories closed, decisions made. Review individual wins in the next staff meeting. ▶️ 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀: Lead by example. If leaders book over it, the team will too. Give a script for pushback: “Let’s move this to Thursday. Wednesday is for focused delivery.” Start with a 4-week test. Survey the team. Keep what works. ▶️ 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 Try a split: meetings before 11, focus after. Or rotate the day by function. If you work across time zones, protect one shared block for focus and schedule meetings outside that block. ▶️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 → Draft the compensation plan. → Build a headcount model. → Clean your SOPs. → Write tough messages with care. → Ship one thing that moves the business. Would your team commit to one meeting-free day each week? #HR #DeepWork #Productivity ♻️ I appreciate 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 repost. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀? Visit my profile and join my newsletter for weekly tips to elevate your career! Stephanie Adams, SPHR #Adamshr #Hrprofessionals #humanresources #HR #hrcommunity Adams HR Consulting

You can't perform at your best if you never have time to recharge. Here's how to set boundaries as a software engineer, without guilt or burnout. (If you're answering Slack messages at midnight, skipping lunch to fix bugs, or saying yes to every request, this is for you.) 1. Define your working hours and stick to them. ✔️ Set clear start and end times. Communicate them to your team. ✔️ Turn off Slack notifications after hours. If it's urgent, they'll call. ✔️ Block your calendar for focused work and treat it like a real meeting. Your availability shouldn't be unlimited just because you work in tech. 2. Learn to say no without over-explaining. ✔️ "I'm at capacity this sprint. Can we revisit this next week?" ✔️ "I can help with X, but not Y. Let me know which is higher priority." ❌ Don't say: "I'm sorry, I'm just so busy right now, I wish I could but..." You don't owe an essay. A clear no is respectful. 3. Protect your deep work time. ✔️ Block 2-4 hour chunks for coding without interruptions. ✔️ Set your status to "Do Not Disturb" and actually honor it. ✔️ Let your team know: "I'm heads down from 9-12. I'll be available after lunch." Context switching kills productivity. Guard your focus like it's your most valuable resource, because it is. 4. Push back on unrealistic deadlines. ✔️ "Based on the scope, this will take 3 weeks. If we need it sooner, we'll need to cut features or add support." ✔️ Be honest about tradeoffs. Saying yes to everything builds technical debt and personal burnout. You're not being difficult. You're being realistic. 5. Take your PTO and actually disconnect. ✔️ Schedule time off in advance. Don't wait for a "good time" (it never comes). ✔️ Set up an out-of-office message. Delegate urgent items before you leave. ✔️ Resist the urge to check in. Your team will survive without you for a week. Rest isn't a luxury. It's how you stay sharp. Boundaries aren't about working less. They're about working sustainably. And protecting the energy you need to keep showing up at your best. Save this for the next time you feel guilty for logging off on time.

Fractional Improvement: Energy Management vs. Time Management This week, I'm shifting my focus from managing my calendar to managing my energy. We've all experienced those days: 8 productive hours fly by effortlessly, while on others, a simple task feels like climbing Everest. The difference isn't time—it's energy. Time is fixed at 24 hours daily, but energy fluctuates dramatically. By mapping my energy patterns instead of just blocking my calendar, I'm able to match tasks to my natural rhythms. What this looks like in practice: ⏲️Scheduling complex financial modeling and client strategy work during my morning peak (9-11am) when my analytical thinking is sharpest ⏲️Shifting admin tasks, emails, and routine reporting to mid-afternoon (2-4pm) when I naturally experience a cognitive dip ⏲️Taking a proper lunch break away from my desk to reset mentally before afternoon commitments ⏲️Planning "deep work" in 90-minute blocks rather than arbitrary time slots, aligning with our brain's natural focus cycles I've realized that I've been fighting my own biology by trying to perform equally well at all hours. Last week, I kept a diary to log my energy patterns and create a personal "heat map" of when I'm best suited for different types of work. The results are revealing: I'm completing complex tasks more efficiently, experiencing less mental fatigue, and—surprisingly—finding more creativity in those natural energy peaks. As a Founder with an endless to do list, working with your natural cycles rather than against them might be the most important optimization of all. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ✨ Fractional Improvement ✨ This is part of my weekly series highlighting one specific area I'm focusing on improving. Small, deliberate changes compound over time into significant growth. Have you noticed patterns in your own energy levels throughout the day? How do you align your most demanding work with your peak performance hours? #FractionalImprovement #ProductivityHacks #FractionalFinance #EnergyManagement

In 2018, I used to think I was special. I was different. I could multi-task when somehow others couldn't. I felt so productive... Lol I was an idiot. I was always feeling rushed and compromising on quality. So I would juggle many things at once, believing I figured out "multi-tasking". I learned multi-tasking is a myth. It leads to shallow work - not DEEP work. Accept that, and prioritize FOCUSED time. My deepest work, the things I've invented or created, came from being immersed in the 12 foot deep end of the "problem pool". NOT the 2 feet shallow kiddy "problem pool". You’d be surprised, but delivering high-quality work quickly isn’t just a pipe dream like I used to think early in my career. And here’s the best part: you don’t need to sacrifice your sanity to achieve it. Here's what I learned. One day, I had enough of feeling rushed. I decided to experiment with time-blocking. I dedicated specific times for focused work and breaks. This simple change transformed my productivity. The work I hold a technical patent for came from this time-blocking. The SKUs I've launched that have been successful, I largely owe setting time away for deep work. (and of course AWESOME teammates, cause you can't do it alone) Suddenly, I was completing tasks faster with greater quality. I found that breaking work into smaller, manageable chunks allowed me to maintain a high standard while moving swiftly through my to-do list (and checking off the todos really got me feeling great, which accelerated my momentum!) Try this 👇 Beginner Mode: Start by identifying your top most important three tasks for the day and tackling them FIRST with no distractions. Take notes of your meetings so you can reference them later. Your brain has limited RAM, so invest in long term storage (notes). Advanced Mode: Schedule deep work sessions during your peak productivity hours (morning = technical work, afternoon = creative work) and minimize distractions. Expert Mode: Plan your week ahead of time. Lump together similar groups of tasks/actions for specific days, or blocks of the day. Cancel calendar invites that do not have a purpose or meeting invite. Those are wastes of time. Politely decline and ask them to move it async. You’ll soon find yourself producing top-notch work at a faster pace, making both you and your team more efficient and satisfied. You won't feel rushed, and your output will be greater and of higher quality. What're some of your productivity tips? Drop it in the comments.

12 Rules to Master Deep Focus Most people try to focus for 8 hours straight. That's like trying to sprint a marathon. Here's how to do it instead: 1. Track Your Peak Hours "What gets measured gets managed." - Peter Drucker Your brain has predictable energy waves. Find them. How to Take Action: - Log when you feel sharp vs foggy for 2-3 days - Notice patterns, especially 2-3 hours after waking - Use data, not guesswork 2. Never Start Deep Work Early "Timing is everything." Your brain needs time to boot up properly. How to Take Action: - Wait 2-3 hours after waking - Let your hormones stabilize - Start when you're truly ready 3. Set Up Your Focus Zone "Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior." Create a space that demands focus. How to Take Action: - Raise your monitor above eye level - Stand up to activate alertness - Use proper posture to boost biochemistry 4. Guard Your Focus Time "What you allow is what will continue." Make your focus time sacred. How to Take Action: - Turn off all notifications - Block distracting websites - Close your door - Make interruptions unacceptable 5. Warm Up Your Brain "Preparation is the key to performance." Don't dive in cold. How to Take Action: - Spend 5-10 minutes organizing - Review your objectives - Skip social media and email - Prime your focus circuits 6. Choose One Battle "To do two things at once is to do neither." Multitasking kills deep work. How to Take Action: - Pick ONE cognitive task - Stick to it for the full block - Avoid task-switching at all costs 7. Use White Noise "Small changes can trigger big breakthroughs." Background noise boosts focus. How to Take Action: - Choose non-lyrical sounds - Keep volume low - Create a consistent audio environment 8. Stop at 90 Minutes "Discipline is knowing when to stop." Don't push past your brain's limits. How to Take Action: - Set a timer for 90 minutes - Stop even when feeling good - Preserve your neurochemistry 9. Practice Active Recovery "Rest is not a luxury. It's a necessity." Recovery is part of performance. How to Take Action: - Walk or stretch after sessions - Avoid screens during breaks - Let your brain consolidate 10. Limit Deep Work Blocks "Less is more." Quality over quantity always wins. How to Take Action: - Do 1-2 blocks per day maximum - Space blocks 2-4 hours apart - Accept your brain's limits 11. Protect Your Focus Time "What gets scheduled gets done." Treat focus blocks like important meetings. How to Take Action: - Block off time in your calendar - Defend these slots fiercely - Never sandwich between meetings 12. Choose Worthy Tasks "Not everything that takes time deserves time." Use focus blocks for growth work only. How to Take Action: - Skip admin tasks - Focus on learning and creating - Build mental muscle What's your biggest focus challenge? Share below! ⬇️ ♻️ Repost if this resonated with you! 🔖 Follow me for more.

အာရုံမစူးစိုက်နိုင်လို့ အလုပ်မပြီးတဲ့သူတွေ အတွက် Deep Work နည်းလမ်းလေးတွေပြောပြမယ်။ နေ့စဉ် လုပ်ရမယ့် Power Hour System: မနက်ပိုင်း Power Hour (၉နာရီ - ၁၀နာရီ) • ဖုန်း ကို DND mode လုပ် • လက်ဖက်ရည်/ကော်ဖီ တစ်ခွက် • အရေးကြီးဆုံးအလုပ် တစ်ခုပဲလုပ် (ဒီအချိန်က သင့်ရဲ့ Golden Hour ပါ) နေ့လည်ပိုင်း Power Hour (၂နာရီ - ၃နာရီ) • Meeting တွေမထား • Email မဖတ် • တစ်ခုပဲ focus လုပ် ညနေပိုင်း Review (၅နာရီ) • ဘာတွေပြီးပြီလဲ စစ်ပါ • မနက်ဖြန်အတွက် plan ချပါ • desk ရှင်းပါ အထိရောက်ဆုံး Strategy ကိုထပ်ပြောရရင် ၁။ အရေးကြီးတာတွေပဲ လုပ်။ ⁃ အရေးကြီးဆုံး အလုပ် ၃ခုပဲရွေး ⁃ ဦးစားပေးအစီအစဉ်လုပ် ⁃ တစ်ခုပြီးမှ နောက်တစ်ခုလုပ် ၂။ အလုပ်ကြီး → အလုပ်သေး → အလုပ်ကြီး ဥပမာ။ • Report ရေး (၄၅မိနစ်) • File တွေသိမ်း (၁၅မိနစ်) • Presentation ပြင် (၄၅မိနစ်) ၃။ Focus Time ထိန်းနည်း ⁃ ဖုန်း Airplane Mode ထား ⁃ နာရီ timer ထား ⁃ ရေ ၂ခွက်လောက်ထား ⁃ ကော်ဖီ/လက်ဖက်ရည် တစ်ခွက်ထား ⁃ စာရွက်နဲ့ဘောပင် ထားပါ (ထပြီးယူရရင် Deep Focus ပျက်မှာဆိုးလို့) Pro Tip: "ငါ မအားဘူး" ဆိုတာထက် "ငါ priority မထားဘူး" လို့ပြောင်းစဉ်းစားပါ။ ____________ For those who struggle with focus and unfinished tasks, here are some Deep Work strategies. Daily Power Hour System: Morning Power Hour (9:00 AM - 10:00 AM) - Set your phone to DND mode. - Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. - Focus on completing one important task. (This is your Golden Hour.) Afternoon Power Hour (2:00 PM - 3:00 PM) - Avoid scheduling meetings. - Don’t check emails. - Concentrate on a single task. Evening Review (5:00 PM) - Reflect on what you’ve accomplished. - Plan for the next day. - Tidy your desk. Most Effective Strategies: 1. Focus only on what’s important. - Select just three crucial tasks. - Prioritize your to-do list. - Complete one task before moving to the next. 2. Alternate between big tasks and small tasks. Example: - Write a report (45 minutes). - Organize files (15 minutes). - Prepare a presentation (45 minutes). 3. Maintain Focus Time: - Put your phone on Airplane Mode. - Use a timer. - Keep two glasses of water nearby. - Have a cup of coffee or tea ready. - Keep a notebook and pen within reach. (Minimize interruptions to maintain deep focus.) Pro Tip: Instead of saying, “I’m too busy,” think, “I didn’t prioritize it.” #DeepWork #Productivity #FocusTime #Suphonemo #CuriousInsighter