Productivity

Losing the ability to read and think deeply

Explore the modern struggle to read and think deeply amidst constant digital consumption. This post delves into how short-form content impacts focus and offers strategies to rebuild the ability to engage with evergreen material.

I’m losing my ability to read deeply and understand what I’m reading, and I’m not the only one.

I used to read for hours, fully immersed. I’d put the book down and still think about it, processing and connecting it for a deeper understanding and recall.

Today, we’re consumed by digital email, chats, TikTok, social media, short blogs, video clips, and other quick consumption forms. The content is designed to keep us engaged.

There must be a connection between today’s consumption and the ability to read and think critically.

Today, I struggle to read

Adding color to your tools can help you be more productive

We can use Colors in our Productivity System to help us quickly identify things. I find it especially useful to identify each area of my life with a specific color.

Here are some of the colors I use to identify areas of my life.

Purple = Family
Red = Health
Brown = Home
Orange = Creative work
Green = Client work
Blue = Personal
Use colors in a variety of tools.
If you are an analog type, you can use different colored pens and highlighters.

Many digital applications allow the use of colors in some form.

Calendar applications allow you to set the default color of

Using a working memory file to stay productive during the day

I created a Working Memory file that I’ll use throughout the day. I learned this from Cal Newport, although I’m sure he didn’t invent the idea.

The idea is to have a single text file open all day that you use to write all of your notes, today’s tasks, etc. Similar to a Daily Note available in some applications, like Roam Research, Logseq, or Obsidian, this file persists daily.

I clean up the file daily, move tasks to my task system, and save essential notes into my note application. My Working Memory file also has

Take care of your eyes with the 20-20-20 Rule

As we all know, staring at a screen causes eye strain. When you do this too long and often, your eyes may not recover. This eye strain is often called computer vision syndrome (CVS) and can cause headaches, fatigue, dry eyes, and long-term damage.

What is the 20–20–20 rule?

Every 20 minutes you spend using a screen, look away at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. 20 feet for 20 seconds is the optimal distance and time to allow your eyes to relax.

How to do it

Set a timer for 20 minutes.
When the timer goes

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a productivity hack where you set a timer for 25 minutes, then start a task, and only work on that single task for 25 minutes. After the 25 minutes are up, you stop what you’re doing, take a 5-minute break, then start another 25-minute session. After 4 sessions, you take a longer break.

Telling yourself you only need to work on a task for 25 minutes is a great way to start. We often overcomplicate things in our minds and delay getting started.

There are some downsides to the Pomodoro Technique. One is that you’

Posts tagged with Productivity

What is the 20–20–20 rule?

How to do it