18 habits that (quietly) doubled my output

I tested 18 productivity habits that doubled my output while working fewer hours. These aren't hacks. They're

hours. These aren't hacks. They're

solutions to six specific problems your brain keeps running into. Think of them as an instruction manual for your own brain. So, let's start. Problem one,

brain. So, let's start. Problem one,

constantly running out of energy. So, a

few years ago, I felt like I was just exhausted all the time, working long hours, trying to be always switched on was taking a toll, and I kept crashing, like completely useless by evenings. I

thought I just needed more coffee or better sleep or something. Then I

learned about these ultraan rhythms. Apparently, our brain runs on these 90 to 120minute waves before it naturally crashes into a recovery phase. And I

realized that I was fighting it the entire time. No wonder I felt like

entire time. No wonder I felt like garbage. Habit one. I started working in

garbage. Habit one. I started working in 90-minute sprints. So, here's what I do

90-minute sprints. So, here's what I do now. One 90minute block of actual

now. One 90minute block of actual focused work. Then I stop. Even if I'm

focused work. Then I stop. Even if I'm in the middle of something, I take a real break of 15 to 20 minutes. And I

don't use it to scroll on phone.

Instead, I take actual breaks like walking outside or just staring at nothing. My brain needs to reset. And

nothing. My brain needs to reset. And

after that break, I'm way better than the burned out version trying to push through. Many elite athletes,

through. Many elite athletes, professional musicians, and even kindergarten teachers use 90-minute blocks. This is because both children

blocks. This is because both children and adults struggle to maintain attention for longer periods. Kids

openly check out while we adults often pretend we don't. Here's what happens if you don't do this. When you work beyond 90 minutes without stopping, your brain starts accumulating this metabolic

waste. Literally, waste products just

waste. Literally, waste products just sitting there. Your stress hormones

sitting there. Your stress hormones spike. Your performance tanks. So,

spike. Your performance tanks. So,

tomorrow try one 90minute sprint. Phone

in another room. Email closed. Just one

thing. Habit two. I stopped fighting my natural clock. Second thing I figured

natural clock. Second thing I figured out, I'm not an early morning person. I

spent years trying to be forcing myself to do hard work at 5:00 a.m. Everyone in

my family was an early riser. So, it got drilled into my brain that it's the best habit to have. But things changed when I learned about chronotypes. Turns out

like only 15% of people are morning lurks. Those who naturally feel most

lurks. Those who naturally feel most energetic early in the day. Also, only

about 15% are night owls. Turns out 70% are somewhere in between, which is me.

Fighting your chronoype absolutely kills your productivity. Like, you're working

your productivity. Like, you're working twice as hard for half the results. So,

I stopped scheduling my day based on when I should work and started scheduling based on when my brain actually works. For me, that's like 8:30

actually works. For me, that's like 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. That's when I do the

a.m. to 2:00 p.m. That's when I do the hard analytical stuff. Routine tasks. I

do those when my brain is already tired anyway. Turns out 90 minutes of work

anyway. Turns out 90 minutes of work when your brain is actually on is worth way more than 3 hours of forcing it when you're already fried. Figure out when you naturally feel alert. Then protect

that time like it's sacred. Habit three.

I stop midflow on purpose. This one felt wrong at first. Ernest Hemingway used to stop writing mid-sentence when he still had energy and knew what came next. I

thought that was insane. But then I tried it and it effectively changed how I start the next day. See, I used to work until I was completely depleted.

Then I'd shut down exhausted. But the

next day, I'd have to rebuild momentum from zero. That meant spending a good

from zero. That meant spending a good chunk of the first hour just trying to pick up momentum. But when I stop midflow with a clear understanding of what's next, I come back the next day

already energized. No ramp up time. I

already energized. No ramp up time. I

just sit down and keep going. So now I stop at an interesting point. Leave

notes on what comes next. And I'm

actually excited to come back to it. So

that's the energy problem solved. Work

in 90minute sprints. Align with your natural clock. Stop midflow. Once I

natural clock. Stop midflow. Once I

fixed this, I stopped feeling constantly exhausted. But then I ran into the next

exhausted. But then I ran into the next problem. Problem two, I was bleeding

problem. Problem two, I was bleeding willpower on stupid decisions. So, even

after fixing the energy thing, I kept hitting this wall. I'd start the day ready to crush it, then [clears throat] waste an hour just deciding what to work on. I was struggling with decision

on. I was struggling with decision fatigue more often than I'd care to admit. Here is how I look at it. Every

admit. Here is how I look at it. Every

choice you make drains this battery you didn't even know you had. And I was draining mine on complete nonsense.

Habit four. I make my big three decisions the night before. Here's what

I do now. Before going to bed, I make my three biggest decisions for the next day. These are the three things that

day. These are the three things that actually matter. I write them down. This

actually matter. I write them down. This

makes my next day's morning automatic.

Most people waste their sharpest mental energy deciding what to work on. By the

time they start, they're already running on fumes. I frontload the decision so

on fumes. I frontload the decision so execution is automatic. Habit five, I automate my recurring decisions. Second

thing I realized, there were many recurring decisions that I made every single day. Stuff like what time to work

single day. Stuff like what time to work out or meal menu. These aren't one-time decisions. They're recurring decisions

decisions. They're recurring decisions disguised as new ones. So, I created default protocols and put them on my calendar. I decided these things once.

calendar. I decided these things once.

Now, I just execute the protocol. Every

default protocol eliminates dozens of daily micro decisions. That's brain

power I can now spend on actual creative work. Habit six, I use if then plans for

work. Habit six, I use if then plans for almost everything. This one's backed by

almost everything. This one's backed by over 100 studies. If then planning basically doubles your success rate.

Instead of I'll exercise more, I use this format. If it's Monday, Wednesday,

this format. If it's Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 5:30 p.m., then I go to the gym. The specificity just cuts through

gym. The specificity just cuts through procrastination. You're not deciding

procrastination. You're not deciding anymore. You're following the plan.

anymore. You're following the plan.

Another one that works wonders for me is if I sit at my desk to work, then I put my phone on do not disturb. What I

realized is that if there is zero ambiguity, then there is zero decision fatigue and all energy is now directed toward execution. Habit seven, I always

toward execution. Habit seven, I always define the next action. Last thing I do before finishing any task, I define the exact next action. For example, not

finalize the script. Use notebook LM to create a mind map to visualize the script flow. That's an action crystal

script flow. That's an action crystal clear. So when I sit down to do that, I

clear. So when I sit down to do that, I don't waste 15 minutes figuring out what to do. I read my next action and

to do. I read my next action and immediately start. This habit has a 30x

immediately start. This habit has a 30x return as it takes me just 30 seconds to write it down, but saves me 15 minutes the next day. Now, these four habits stopped my willpower from bleeding out

on trivial stuff. But then I noticed this weird memory thing happening.

Problem three, my brain kept obsessing over unfinished stuff. All right, so even with energy and decisions handled, my brain was still a mess. I'd be

working on one thing but thinking about multiple other things. Then I learned about this thing called the zagarnic effect. Turns out your brain remembers

effect. Turns out your brain remembers incomplete things way better than completed ones. And I realized my brain

completed ones. And I realized my brain was tracking like 50 open loops at once.

Remember that Hemingway habit? That's a

controlled open loop. But I had dozens of uncontrolled ones draining my brain constantly. No wonder I couldn't focus.

constantly. No wonder I couldn't focus.

Habit 8. I touch it once or not at all.

This habit helped me to stop creating unnecessary loops in the first place. I

realized that every time I started something without finishing it, I was creating that zygarnic tension. So I

became very intentional about what things I touched. For example, if I am doing deep work, I avoid peeking at my phone or checking my emails because doing so created unnecessary open loops

that diminished my focus. So I switched to one-touch done habit. Open the email, make a decision right then. Respond or

ignore it. One touch, I'll do it later is a lie I used to tell myself constantly. Later rarely comes and when

constantly. Later rarely comes and when it does, I waste time reloading the context. Now I either handle it

context. Now I either handle it completely or don't touch it at all.

This one change stopped me from creating dozens of unnecessary mental tabs. Habit

n. I start things for just 5 minutes.

Now here's where the zagarnic effect becomes useful, but only for your top priority tasks. When I find myself

priority tasks. When I find myself avoiding something important, I commit to just 5 minutes. That's it. My brain

opens this loop that naturally wants to close and then I find myself thinking about it later, wanting to finish it.

Apparently, people are like twice as likely to remember unfinished tasks, which means your brain is working on it even when you're not. That's free

background processing. But here's the key difference. This is one intentional

key difference. This is one intentional loop on something that actually matters, not 50 random things competing for attention. I'm giving my brain one clear

attention. I'm giving my brain one clear thing to chew on in the background. 5

minutes to start. Let your brain do the rest. Habit 10. I have a completion

rest. Habit 10. I have a completion ritual. When I finish a task, I mark it

ritual. When I finish a task, I mark it complete. I delete it from my calendar

complete. I delete it from my calendar or mark it physically if I wrote it down. Then I say done out loud and close

down. Then I say done out loud and close my laptop with intention. Sounds silly,

but it creates psychological closure.

Without a clear signal, my brain keeps tasks partially open. That's mental

weight I don't need. The ritual closes the loop cleanly. My brain fully releases it and moves to the next thing.

Habit 11. I do a brain dump every night.

5 minutes before bed, I write everything down. Everything on my mind, including

down. Everything on my mind, including worries and random ideas. All of it gets documented. That cigaric effect, it runs

documented. That cigaric effect, it runs all night if you let it. The brain dump habit stops it by closing all the open loops. If you are trying this, there is

loops. If you are trying this, there is something to note. The 5-minut starts are for tasks I chose to work on. The

brain dump is for everything the anxious brain is tracking that it shouldn't be.

[clears throat] Plus, when you write things down, you realize half of them aren't even important. Problem four, I couldn't focus for more than a few minutes. All right, so energy was

minutes. All right, so energy was handled. Decisions were automated.

handled. Decisions were automated.

Memory loops were closed, but I still needed to fix my focus issues for good because whenever I'd sit down to work, I'd find myself drift even after removing digital distractions. Habit 12.

I batch tasks by their energy type. I

realize that I used to jump between different types of work constantly and I'd lose like 40% of my time just refocusing after each switch. Now I

group tasks by the kind of mental energy they need. So when my brain is sharp,

they need. So when my brain is sharp, that's when I do the hard stuff. Things

like strategic thinking or creative work that need real brain power. That's also

the time when I do my top three tasks of the day. My afternoon, I know that my

the day. My afternoon, I know that my energy is medium at best. That's when I switch to emails, meetings, and coordinating with people. And when I'm already tired, that's when I do the

mindless admin stuff. This kind of batching stop me from starting three things and finishing none because I'm not constantly yanking my brain between different mental modes. Habit 13. I use

music to trigger focus states. I had

always found my taste of music to be reflection of my mood. So, I built this habit leveraging that. Since different

tasks need different mental states, I created three playlists for deep focus work, instrumental only, no lyrics competing for brain space, for routine

tasks, upbeat stuff that keeps my energy up. For creative work, either silence or

up. For creative work, either silence or just ambient noise. After a few weeks, just hearing those first notes triggers the right mode. I'm not forcing myself to concentrate. My brain automatically

to concentrate. My brain automatically shifts into the state I've trained it for. It's like Pavlov's dogs, but for

for. It's like Pavlov's dogs, but for productivity. Problem five, my thoughts

productivity. Problem five, my thoughts were killing my output. Even with

everything else working, my biggest challenge was that my brain would spiral into these stories that I made for myself. Stuff like, I can't do this.

myself. Stuff like, I can't do this.

This is too hard or I'm going to fail and I'd just freeze. Then I learned something interesting. Perception

something interesting. Perception controls your output way more than actual reality. Habit 14. I talk to

actual reality. Habit 14. I talk to myself in third person. This sounds

weird, but it works. When I'm stuck, I refer to myself by name during self-t talk. There's research that explains why

talk. There's research that explains why this works. Apparently, when you talk to

this works. Apparently, when you talk to yourself like you're someone else, your brain switches modes. It stops drowning in emotion and starts problem solving.

Ever realize how it's easier to guide a friend in need. But when it comes to oneself, our thoughts get all foggy and confusing. It's exactly like that. When

confusing. It's exactly like that. When

I'm stuck in first person, I'm just pure emotion. I can't do this. I'm going to

emotion. I can't do this. I'm going to fail. That's my panic brain talking.

fail. That's my panic brain talking.

Zero solutions. But when I switch to the third person, I access my rational brain, the part that can actually think.

I make decisions way faster now. No more

spiraling for hours. Habit 15. I balance

optimism with obstacle planning. Years

ago, I saw the secret and I was convinced about the power of positive visualization. I'd practice it and

visualization. I'd practice it and imagine the outcome and feel great about it, but then I'd never actually do the work. Turns out there's research on

work. Turns out there's research on this. Purely positive visualization

this. Purely positive visualization feels so good your brain thinks you already succeeded, so it stops trying.

Now I do mental contrasting instead.

First, I imagine the outcome and how good it'll feel. Then I deliberately think about the obstacles I'll hit. Then

I make if then plans for those obstacles. For example, if I feel too

obstacles. For example, if I feel too tired after work, then I'll just do 5 minutes. This really helped because I'm

minutes. This really helped because I'm not blindsided by predictable problems anymore because I planned for them before they showed up. Habit 16. I ship

at 80% instead of polishing forever. I

got this from my wife. I had always felt uncomfortable signing off on things that are not 100% to my liking. I used to hold back work that was like 80% done, thinking it needed to be perfect. But

she pointed out that nobody's examining it as closely as I am. And she was right. There's this study where students

right. There's this study where students wore embarrassing shirts. They thought

everyone would notice. In reality, most people didn't even see it. That's the

spotlight effect. We think everyone's scrutinizing our work with the same intensity we do, but they're not.

They're busy with their own stuff. Now I

live by the mantra, done and shipped, beats perfect and stuck every single time. Now I ship at 80%, learn from the

time. Now I ship at 80%, learn from the response. Iterate based on real

response. Iterate based on real feedback. That's how I actually make

feedback. That's how I actually make progress. Not by polishing in isolation

progress. Not by polishing in isolation until it's perfect, but by putting it out there and making it better based on what actually matters. Problem six. My

motivation kept disappearing. Even with

all the systems in place, my motivation would just vanish after a few days. Then

I'd rely on discipline and willpower to carry me through. But I prefer not to run on willpower forever. I needed

automatic motivation. Habit 17. I pair

hard things with things I actually want.

There's this economist named Katherine Milman who studied this. She found that pairing a should with a want increased gym visits by like 29 to 51%. I read

this in Ato atomic habits as well. It's

called temptation bundling. So I

designed a habit where I paired what I found hard with what I wanted to do. Now

I do the dishes while watching a show that I like. I only listen to my favorite podcast while folding laundry.

My brain started associating the hard thing with the enjoyable thing. Now I

actually crave both together. Like I'll

want to do dishes because that's when I get to watch that show. I'm not forcing myself through the hard task anymore.

I'm rewarding myself during it, not after. That's sustainable motivation.

after. That's sustainable motivation.

Habit 18. I vary my rewards. So my brain stays curious. Casinos figured this out

stays curious. Casinos figured this out decades ago. Variable rewards are way

decades ago. Variable rewards are way more addictive than consistent ones.

Slot machines don't pay out every time.

That's what makes them so compelling. So

I don't reward myself the same way every time. Sometimes it's a coffee break.

time. Sometimes it's a coffee break.

Sometimes a walk, sometimes 5 minutes of YouTube, sometimes nothing. The

variability keeps my brain engaged.

Consistent rewards get boring fast. Your

brain adapts and stops caring. But

variable rewards, my brain stays curious about what's coming next. It never knows if this task will get a reward or not, so it stays motivated throughout. Now,

pick your biggest problem. Start there.

Then move on to the next one.