14 WAYS

A thread
#1 De-clutter your mobile
home screen
The mobile home screen
is the biggest time sink of
today.

I realized keeping my
home screen minimal
dramatically reduced my
tendency to check apps
with no prime purpose.
#2 Put time limits on all
apps where you tend to
waste time
Remember that we are trying to fight the
best behavioral scientists in the world
whose job is to keep us hooked to our apps.
Poor chance we will win.

Install time blockers!

+Bonus:
Most of the time blocking apps allow for a
password, through which you can bypass
the time limit.

Set that password, but through your

family/friends.
Ask them not to share it with you.

Thank me later!

⏳
#3 Remove all notifications
and red color badges
You will not be able to
fight distraction, if your
mobile screen is
constantly pinging with
what's happening, or
your screen shows you
how many messages
you have missed!

Remove all of them. It

should look like this,
all the time.
#4 Wake up slow
One of the worst things we do to ourselves is
to wake up just-in-time for our day.
We feel rushed.
It disorients us. For the entire day.

The first thing I do is to sip water for 15 mins.

No phone.
No book.
No music.
No person.

Just me, water and

my thoughts.
#5 Maintain your glucose
levels sideways
If our glucose levels go down, we feel
drained out of energy.
If they remain too high, we tend to overeat.

I have started using a tracker

(@Ultrahuman) for my glucose and its
helped me immensely keep my energy
levels steady throughout.
👎
If you can't afford one as yet, then be
simply aware of what and how much you
are eating.

Avoid excessive sugar, fried foods,

packaged foods.

🙅‍♂️
#6 Find your max energy
period
We all have a zone where we are most
productive.
Guard that period ferociously.
Schedule the toughest or most impactful
things for that period.

For me, it is my mornings.

Reserved for the most important things
with most of it thinking time
#7 Use Pomodoro
technique
A powerful way to keep your mind focused.
A 30-min slot is 1 pomodoro
25 mins of work
5 mins of break
Repeat
After 4 pomodoros,
take a long 20-30min break.

Download a
pomodoro timer-
there are plenty of
good ones.
#8 Do not try to remember
anything
Your mind should be used to think.
Not to remember.

Use calendar, emails, notes app to record

everything. From todo lists, to reminders
and beyond.

🧠
I use a list of tools to achieve this...

NotionHQ (for note taking)

Baydin (for scheduling my emails,
setting recurring emails, sending
emails later etc)
Calendly (for maintaining my
schedule)
WhatsApp (for note taking; I have a
pinned group on top that just has me!)
asana (for all my work todos)
#9 Restrict information to
max 3 sources
We are living in a world of information
abundance. And the more sources you
have of information, the more you will
constantly be consuming, as against
doing real work.

I get all my information from only 3 sources:

Twitter
Emails
WhatsApp
#10 Schedule time for
these sources
Even with 3 sources, you could spend your
entire day consumed by them. 'Schedule
time for them.

For example: I have set my email to

hit my inbox only 3 times a day
(using Mailman)
#11 Setup distraction time
We crave for distraction because it is the
forbidden fruit.
The dopamine is addictive.

You could fight it by setting up scheduled

time to "waste time".
Our mind then anticipates it, instead of
craving for it.

I have three 30-min slots in my day.

#12 Keep a journal for
distraction thoughts
When we write we tell our brain that this is
important. Which is one of the best ways to
get our mind off that thing.

So the next time you feel distracted, just

write down that thought.
#13 If anything can be
done in 2 mins and needs
to be done, do it.
Our mind is designed to focus on things
that we haven't finished, as against things
that we have.

Do not add to your pile of unfinished

👨‍💻
things.
#14 Maintain a routine
Nothing beats distraction than having a
routine. The absence of which is you
willingly giving away control of your day to
external stimuli.

Most of my day is free time.

That is also part of the routine.
I would love for all of you to benefit from
these tips that I have personally gained
immensely from.

Remember, focus is the new IQ.

💯
In a world that benefits from your
distraction, being focused is an
act of rebel!