productivity - Concepts

Explore concepts tagged with "productivity"

Total concepts: 366

Concepts

1-1-1 Method - A simple evening journaling practice: 1 win, 1 challenge, 1 gratitude.
Two-Day Rule - A habit maintenance strategy where you never skip a habit two days in a row.
20-20-20 Rule - Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to reduce eye strain.
20-Hour Rule - With focused practice, you can become reasonably good at most skills in just 20 hours.
3x3 Template - A structured writing framework that organizes content into three components: defining the 'what', outlining 'how' in 3 steps, and explaining 'why' with 3 reasons.
85 Percent Rule - Optimal learning and performance occur when operating at about 85% effort or accuracy.
A Place for Everything - The organizational principle that every item should have a designated location, and items should always be returned there.
ABCDE Method - A prioritization system categorizing tasks by importance and action type.
Action Bias - The tendency to favor action over inaction, even when doing nothing would produce better outcomes.
Action Changes Everything - The key to making progress is taking action; if you do not start, you cannot make progress.
Activation Energy (Psychology) - The initial effort required to start a behavior, determining likelihood of action.
Activation Energy - The initial mental and physical effort required to start a task, borrowed from chemistry as a productivity metaphor.
AI Assistants - AI tools configured to help with specific tasks like writing, research, or coding.
AI Master Prompt - A comprehensive system prompt that configures AI to understand your context and work style.
AI Mega Prompts - A technique of concatenating multiple notes and documents into a single comprehensive file to provide rich context to LLMs.
Always Be Working (ABW) - An unhealthy mindset of constant productivity that leads to burnout.
Analog to Digital Workflow - A structured process for transitioning paper notes, documents, and physical information into organized digital systems.
Analysis Paralysis - Overthinking a decision to the point of taking no action.
Async Development - A development workflow where tasks run in the background, allowing developers to work on multiple streams simultaneously.
Asynchronous Communication - Communication that doesn't require immediate response, allowing for thoughtful replies.
Atomic Tasks - Breaking work into the smallest actionable units for easier completion.
Attention as Currency - Viewing attention as a limited resource that can be spent, invested, or wasted.
Attention Fatigue - The depletion of attentional capacity through sustained directed attention.
Attention Management - The practice of deliberately controlling where attention goes rather than letting it be captured.
Attention Momentum - The tendency for focused attention to build and sustain itself over time.
Attention Residue - The mental carry-over effect where thoughts from a previous task linger and interfere with focus on a new task.
Attention Span - The length of time one can concentrate on a task without becoming distracted.
Attention Switching - Moving focus between tasks or stimuli, incurring cognitive costs with each transition.
Attention Types - The two fundamental categories of attention: directed (goal-driven) and stimulated (stimulus-driven).
Attention - The cognitive process of selectively focusing on relevant information while ignoring distractions.
Automating Processes - A systematic approach to identifying and automating repetitive tasks and workflows to increase efficiency and reduce manual effort.
Autonomous Framework - A personal work philosophy focused on maximizing autonomy by minimizing distractions and maximizing ownership, options, and leverage.
Batching Strategies - Different systematic approaches to grouping similar tasks together for improved efficiency and focus.
Benefits of Journaling - The many advantages of regular journaling for clarity, productivity, and personal growth.
Bias for Action - A preference for taking action rather than overanalyzing or waiting for perfect conditions.
Big 3 Method - A daily prioritization technique where you identify the three most important tasks to accomplish each day.
Big Hairy Audacious Goals - Ambitious, inspiring long-term goals that create vision and shed light on the path ahead.
Bikeshedding - The tendency to spend disproportionate time on trivial matters while leaving important issues unattended.
Biological Prime Time - Identifying and leveraging your natural peak energy periods for your most demanding cognitive work.
Boy Scout Rule - Leave things better than you found them.
Brain Dumps - The practice of quickly emptying your mind onto paper or screen.
Bullet Journal - A rapid logging system combining tasks, events, and notes in a structured format.
Burnout - A state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged stress and overwork.
Calendar Blocking - Scheduling specific blocks on your calendar for different types of work or activities.
Capture Habit - The trained behavior of immediately capturing thoughts, ideas, and information.
Capture on the Run - The practice of being always ready to capture ideas and thoughts whenever and wherever they arise, not just at your desk.
Capture System - A reliable external system for collecting thoughts, highlights, and information before they're forgotten.
Choice Overload - When too many options leads to difficulty deciding and reduced satisfaction.
Choose Your Hard - A systems design principle about using friction strategically to make undesirable behaviors difficult and desirable behaviors easy.
Chronotype - Your natural preference for when you feel most alert and productive during the day.
Circadian Rhythm - The body's internal 24-hour clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles and numerous physiological processes.
Closing Open Loops - Strategies and mindsets for completing unfinished tasks, reducing mental clutter, and achieving cognitive freedom.
CODE Method - Capture, Organize, Distill, Express - a knowledge management workflow.
Cognitive Load - The mental effort required to process information or complete tasks.
Cognitive Offloading - Using external tools or the environment to reduce mental effort and extend cognitive capacity.
Cognitive Switching Penalty - The mental cost and time lost when shifting between different tasks or contexts.
Cognitive Work - Work that primarily involves thinking, analysis, problem-solving, and mental processing.
From Collector to Creator - The transformative journey from passively collecting information to actively creating original work, using PKM as a bridge between consumption and creation.
Compound Effect - Small, consistent actions accumulated over time produce massive results through exponential growth.
Compound Growth - Exponential growth where returns generate additional returns over time.
Consistency - The practice of showing up regularly and maintaining steady effort over time.
Context Engineering - The practice of providing AI with optimal context for better outputs.
Context Switching - The mental cost of shifting attention between different tasks.
Continuous Improvement - Ongoing, incremental improvement of processes, systems, and performance.
Continuous Partial Attention - The state of constantly scanning for new information while never fully focusing on any single thing.
Convention Over Configuration - A software design paradigm that reduces decisions developers need to make by providing sensible defaults based on conventions.
Coordination Costs - The overhead required for multiple people to work together effectively on shared goals.
Daily Notes - Time-stamped notes created each day for journaling and capture.
Dataview - A query engine for treating Obsidian notes as a database.
Day Theming - Assigning specific themes or focus areas to each day of the week to reduce context switching.
Deadline Effect - The phenomenon of increased productivity and focus as deadlines approach.
Decision Fatigue - The deteriorating quality of decisions after making many decisions.
Decision Hygiene - Systematic practices for reducing noise and bias in judgment without targeting specific errors.
Decision Minimalism - Reducing daily decisions to preserve mental energy for what matters most.
Deep Knowledge Work - Cognitively demanding professional work that requires sustained concentration and expertise.
Deep Work Schedule - A systematic approach to scheduling protected time for cognitively demanding work.
Deep Work - Focused, distraction-free work on cognitively demanding tasks.
Default Diary - A pre-planned schedule template that represents your ideal allocation of time for recurring activities across a typical week.
Delayed Gratification - The ability to resist immediate rewards in favor of larger future benefits.
Delegation - The process of assigning responsibility and authority for tasks to others.
Desire Path - An unplanned trail formed by people or animals taking the path they naturally prefer, rather than the designed route.
Digital Clutter - The hidden accumulation of digital files, emails, apps, and information that silently impacts productivity, increases stress, and creates cognitive overload.
Digital Mindfulness - Intentional, aware use of technology - choosing how you engage with digital tools rather than being driven by them.
Digital Minimalism - A philosophy of technology use focused on intentionally choosing tools that support your values.
Diminishing Returns - The principle that benefits decrease after reaching an optimal point of investment.
Directed Attention - Intentional, goal-driven focus aligned with internal objectives and personal goals.
DiSSS Learning System - Tim Ferriss's four-step framework for rapid skill acquisition and learning.
Distraction-Free Writing - Writing environments and practices designed to eliminate distractions and support flow.
Do What You Said You Would Do - A principle of integrity and reliability - honor your commitments by following through on what you promised.
Document to Forget - The purpose of documentation is to free your mind from remembering—once properly recorded, information can be safely forgotten.
Dopamine - A neurotransmitter that sets the threshold for motivation and goal pursuit, acting as a limited currency for action.
Drafting - The stage of writing where you get ideas down without worrying about perfection.
Eat the Frog - Tackle your most challenging or dreaded task first thing in the morning to build momentum and avoid procrastination.
Effort Justification - A cognitive bias where people value outcomes more when they required significant effort to achieve.
Effort vs Impact - A prioritization matrix that evaluates tasks based on their effort requirements and potential impact.
Ego Depletion - The theory that self-control and willpower draw from a limited mental resource that gets depleted.
Eisenhower Matrix - A prioritization framework using urgency and importance to categorize tasks.
Elements of a PKM System - The core components and processes that make up an effective personal knowledge management system.
Email Overload - The overwhelming burden of excessive email volume that consumes time and fragments attention.
Embrace Imperfection - Accept that your first iteration may not be perfect and use it as a starting point.
Energy Audit - Assessing what activities, people, and contexts give versus drain your energy.
Energy First, Time Second - Energy management is more important than time management; focus on maintaining and recharging your energy before optimizing your schedule.
Energy Management - The practice of optimizing and allocating your physical, mental, and emotional energy rather than just managing your time.
Environment Design - Shaping your physical and digital surroundings to make desired behaviors easier and unwanted behaviors harder.
Environment Staging - Preparing your environment in advance to reduce future decisions, increase productivity, and maintain calm under pressure.
Essentialism - The disciplined pursuit of less but better by focusing on what's truly essential.
Evening Routine - A structured sequence of activities to end your day and prepare for tomorrow.
Externalizing Thinking - Getting thoughts out of your head and into an external medium to enable deeper thinking.
Extrinsic Motivation - Motivation driven by external factors like rewards, pressure, and consequences.
Feedforward Effect - People are more inclined to take action when they know what to expect beforehand.
Festina Lente - The Latin phrase meaning 'make haste slowly' - balancing speed with deliberation.
Five-Minute Favor - Adam Rifkin's concept of helping others in ways that take little time but create significant value.
5 Minute Journal - A quick daily reflection format for building journaling habits.
Five-Minute Rule - A productivity technique where you commit to working on a dreaded task for just 5 minutes, often creating enough momentum to continue.
Flow Blockers - Conditions and behaviors that prevent entering or maintaining flow states.
Flow State - The state of complete immersion in an activity with effortless focus.
Flow Triggers - Conditions and practices that increase the likelihood of entering flow states.
Flywheels - Self-reinforcing cycles where each action builds momentum for the next.
Focus Environment - Physical and digital spaces designed to support concentrated cognitive work.
Focus Modes - Different types of concentrated attention suited to various cognitive tasks.
Focus Music - Audio specifically designed or selected to support concentrated work.
Focus Protection - Deliberate strategies to defend focused work time from interruptions and distractions.
Focus Rituals - Consistent practices that signal and support the transition into focused work.
Focus Sprints - Short, intensive periods of maximum concentration on a single task.
Focus Triggers - Environmental or behavioral cues that reliably initiate focused concentration.
Focus - The ability to direct and maintain attention on what matters.
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) - Anxiety that others are having rewarding experiences you're missing.
Forcing Function - Constraints or mechanisms that compel specific behaviors or outcomes.
Four Thousand Weeks - The realization that an average human lifespan of ~80 years translates to only about 4,000 weeks, putting our finite time in stark perspective.
Fourth Place - A thinking space beyond home, work, and social environments.
Freewriting - A technique of continuous writing without stopping, editing, or self-censoring.
Gamification - Using game elements like points, badges, and competition to increase engagement in non-game contexts.
Gates' Law - Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.
Getting Started Problem - The specific challenge of initiating work, often harder than the work itself.
Goal Gradient Effect - The tendency to increase effort as we approach a goal.
Goal Setting - The process of defining objectives and creating plans to achieve them.
Getting Things Done (GTD) - A productivity methodology for capturing, organizing, and completing tasks.
GYST (Get Your Shit Together) - A productivity reset framework for when you're overwhelmed and need to regain control of your work and life.
Habit Loop - The neurological loop of cue, routine, and reward that underlies all habit formation.
Habit Stacking - Linking new habits to existing ones to leverage established neural pathways.
Happiness Advantage - The finding that happiness leads to success more than success leads to happiness.
Heat Waves (Productivity) - A metaphor for periods of overload that slow us down, requiring cooling off and recovery to avoid burnout.
Hedonic Treadmill - The tendency to return to a baseline level of happiness despite positive or negative events.
Hick's Law - Decision time increases logarithmically with the number of choices available.
High-Leverage Tasks - Tasks that produce disproportionately large results relative to the effort invested, following the 80/20 principle.
High Performance Habits - Brendon Burchard's research-based framework of six habits that drive sustained excellence.
Highlight of the Day - The single most important task or activity for your day; completing or making significant progress on it should be enough to feel good about your day.
Hofstadter's Law - Things always take longer than expected, even accounting for the law itself.
Hot Paths - The critical decision points or actions that have outsized impact on outcomes.
Hyperfocus - A state of intense concentration where you become completely absorbed in a task.
Ideal Schedule for the Day - A time management practice of designing an optimal daily schedule to guide time allocation, while accepting that disruptions will occur.
Ideal Schedule for the Week - A time management technique of designing a realistic yet optimistic weekly template that reflects your priorities and creates intentional time allocation.
If-Then Planning - Creating specific plans linking situations to actions: 'If X happens, I will do Y.'
Implementation Intentions - A planning strategy using if-then statements to specify when, where, and how you will perform a behavior.
Impostor Syndrome - Persistent self-doubt and feeling like a fraud despite evidence of competence.
Inbox Zero - Keeping inboxes empty by processing items to appropriate destinations.
Indecision Is a Decision - Recognizing that not deciding is itself a choice with real consequences.
Infoglut - An overwhelming excess of available information that hampers rather than helps decision-making.
Information Diet - Intentionally curating information consumption for quality over quantity.
Information Fasting - Deliberately abstaining from information consumption to clear mental clutter and reset attention.
Information Filtering - Systematic processes for screening and selecting relevant information while blocking noise.
Information Management - The systematic organization, storage, and retrieval of information.
Information Minimalism - Deliberately consuming less information to create space for deeper thinking and meaningful work.
Information Overload - Having too much information to process effectively.
Information Radiators - Visible displays that broadcast important information to anyone who passes by.
Information Triage - Rapidly sorting incoming information by urgency and importance to allocate attention effectively.
Instant Gratification Syndrome - The tendency to prefer immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards.
Integrated Thinking Environment (ITE) - A unified digital workspace designed to support all aspects of knowledge work and thinking.
Interstitial Journaling - Capturing thoughts and notes in the gaps between tasks throughout the day.
Intrinsic Motivation - Internal drive from enjoyment and satisfaction rather than external rewards.
Ivy Lee Method - A simple yet powerful productivity technique: plan 3-5 prioritized tasks each evening and work through them sequentially the next day.
Jevons Paradox - The principle that increasing the efficiency of resource use tends to increase total consumption rather than decrease it.
Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) - The pleasure of stepping back and disconnecting from the constant stream of information.
Elements of a Journal - The structural components of a journaling system: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly notes.
Journaling - The practice of regularly recording thoughts, experiences, and reflections.
Just-in-Time Learning - Learning what you need precisely when you need it.
Kaizen - The Japanese philosophy of continuous incremental improvement.
Kanban - A visual workflow management method using boards and cards.
Keystone Habits - Habits that trigger a cascade of positive changes across multiple areas of life when established.
Knowledge Management - The process of creating, sharing, using, and managing knowledge in organizations.
Knowledge Work Measurement - Approaches to evaluating the productivity and effectiveness of cognitive work.
Knowledge Work Productivity - Effective output in cognitive and information-based professional work.
Knowledge Worker Challenges - The common problems knowledge workers face: information overload, cognitive load, context switching, and knowledge retrieval.
Knowledge Worker Environment - Physical and digital spaces designed to support cognitive and information work.
Knowledge Worker Habits - Recurring behaviors that support effective cognitive and information work.
Knowledge Worker Kit - A comprehensive guide covering 13 essential areas for Knowledge Workers and Lifelong Learners.
Knowledge Worker Tools - Software, systems, and methods that enable effective cognitive and information work.
Knowledge Worker - A professional whose primary work involves creating, analyzing, and applying information.
Laser Focus - Concentrating attention on a single task at a time with intense, undivided focus.
Leverage - Using small inputs to generate outsized outputs through the strategic application of force multipliers.
LifeOS - A command center for managing all aspects of your life.
Limit Work In Progress - Restricting the number of concurrent tasks to improve focus and throughput.
Lippitt-Knoster Change Model - A framework showing that successful change requires vision, skills, incentives, resources, and an action plan working together.
Lower the Bar - Set the bar lower at the day-to-day work level to overcome overwhelm and make consistent progress toward big goals.
Maker vs Manager Schedule - The distinction between schedules optimized for creation (long blocks) versus coordination (hourly slots).
Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule - Two distinct approaches to time management: makers need long uninterrupted blocks while managers work in hourly slots.
Marie Kondo Your Digital Life - Applying Marie Kondo's tidying principles to digital spaces - keeping only what sparks joy and serves a purpose in your digital environment.
Mens Sana in Corpore Sano - A healthy mind in a healthy body - the connection between physical and mental health.
Mental Context - The cognitive state and loaded information needed for a specific task.
Mental Energy - The cognitive resources available for thinking, deciding, and creating.
Metronomes and Momentum - The principle that regularity and consistency, like a metronome, build momentum that compounds over time.
Micromanagement - Excessive control over details and decisions that should be delegated.
Minimum Effective Dose - The smallest input that produces a desired outcome, maximizing efficiency.
Minimum Viable Productivity Toolkit - A core set of essential productivity practices that form the foundation of an effective productivity system.
Most Impactful Next Task (MINT) - A prioritization method focusing on identifying and completing the single most impactful task.
Mise-en-place - Everything in its place - preparation before action.
Momentum Building - Creating forward motion through small wins that generate energy for larger efforts.
Monotasking - Deliberately focusing on one task at a time rather than attempting multitasking.
Monthly Notes - Monthly summaries for mid-range reflection and goal tracking.
Morning Routine - A structured sequence of activities to start your day intentionally.
MoSCoW Method - Prioritization framework using Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have.
Most Important Task - Identifying and completing your highest-impact task early each day.
Motivation Through Action - Action generates motivation, not vice versa - starting creates the momentum to continue.
Multitasking - Attempting to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, which reduces effectiveness.
Noise Cancelling - Strategies and tools for managing auditory distractions to improve focus and productivity.
Notification Fatigue - Mental exhaustion and desensitization caused by constant digital alerts and interruptions.
Novelty Bias - Disproportionate attraction to new information over established knowledge.
Obsidian Web Clipper - A browser extension for capturing web content directly to Obsidian.
Obsidian - A powerful note-taking app that uses local Markdown files and linking.
One Big Text File (OBTF) - A minimalist note-taking approach where all notes, thoughts, and ideas are stored in a single continuously growing text file.
Open Loops - Incomplete tasks and unresolved commitments that occupy mental space.
Operating Rhythm - Recurring patterns of meetings, reviews, and activities that drive organizational execution.
Opportunity Cost - The loss of potential gain from alternatives when one option is chosen.
Overcoming Inertia - The challenge of starting is often the hardest step, but once in motion, momentum makes subsequent steps easier.
Overwhelmed By Life Today (OBLT) - The modern condition of being overwhelmed by disorganization, noise, and scattered attention.
PARA Method - An organization system using Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives.
Paradox of Choice - Having too many options leads to anxiety and decision paralysis.
Pareto Principle - 80% of effects come from 20% of causes - focus on high-impact activities.
Parkinson's Law - Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
Pattern of Procrastination (PoP) - A framework for understanding the recurring patterns and triggers behind procrastination.
Peak Performance - Optimal functioning state where skills, focus, and energy align for exceptional output.
Perfectionism - The pursuit of flawlessness that can prevent progress and completion.
Periodic Journaling - Regular, scheduled journaling practice at daily, weekly, or other intervals.
Periodic Reviews - Regular reflection sessions to review progress and plan ahead.
Personal Control System - A meta-system for controlling your productivity systems through continuous review, improvement, and self-regulation practices.
Personal Information Management (PIM) - The practice of organizing and managing information within your personal sphere of life.
Personal Kanban - A visual personal task management system using boards and work-in-progress limits.
Personal Learning System - A structured system used by individuals to organize and optimize their learning process for greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Personal Operating System - A framework for how you organize life, make decisions, and operate on a daily basis.
Personal Organization System Principles - Five key principles for building effective personal organization systems: safety, holistic design, life integration, simplicity, and agility.
Personal Organization Roadmap - A step-by-step guide for building your personal organization system, from basic tools to a comprehensive LifeOS.
Key Principles of a Good Personal Organization System - Five essential principles for building an effective personal organization system: safety, holism, integration, simplicity, and agility.
Personal System (PS) - A comprehensive system dedicated to organizing your life and data, encompassing productivity, learning, knowledge management, and wellbeing.
Phantom Workload - Hidden work that consumes time and energy but doesn't appear in formal task lists.
Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) - The practice of managing personal information and knowledge to enhance learning, productivity, and growth.
Plain Text Productivity - Using plain text files for productivity and knowledge management for simplicity and longevity.
Plan More, Review Less - A development philosophy that emphasizes investing time in upfront planning to reduce the burden of reviewing completed work.
Planning Fallacy Mitigation - Strategies and techniques to combat the tendency to underestimate time, costs, and complexity in planning.
Planning Fallacy - The tendency to underestimate time, costs, and risks while overestimating benefits.
Pomodoro Alternatives - Alternative time-structured focus techniques beyond the standard 25-minute Pomodoro.
Pomodoro Technique - A time management method using focused work intervals with breaks.
Positive Routines - Beneficial habitual practices that automate parts of daily life, reducing decision fatigue and supporting overall well-being.
Post-Focus Review - A brief review after focused work to capture progress and prepare for next session.
Pillars Pipelines and Vaults (PPV) - A Life Operating System designed by August Bradley for focus, alignment, and knowledge resurfacing.
Pre-Commitment - Making decisions in advance to avoid using willpower in the moment.
Pre-Focus Routine - A sequence of actions performed before focused work to prepare mind and environment.
Prefrontal Cortex - The brain region responsible for executive functions like planning, decision-making, and impulse control.
Process Over Outcome - Focusing on the quality of your process rather than fixating on results leads to better outcomes and more enjoyment along the way.
Processing by Elimination - Prioritizing what to remove rather than what to keep.
Procrastination Equation - The formula: Motivation = (Expectancy × Value) / (Impulsiveness × Delay).
Procrastination in Disguise - Activities that feel productive but actually delay meaningful work on important goals.
Procrastination Types - Different patterns and causes of procrastination requiring different intervention strategies.
Productive Laziness - The practice of finding the most efficient path to accomplish goals by eliminating unnecessary work.
Productive Procrastination - Doing useful but lower-priority tasks to avoid more important or difficult work.
Progress Principle - The finding that making meaningful progress in work is the single most important factor in boosting motivation and engagement.
Progressive Distillation - A technique for highlighting and extracting the most important information from notes over time.
Progressive Summarization - A layered highlighting method to distill information over time.
Prompt Engineering - The practice of crafting effective prompts to get optimal results from AI models.
Protecting Time - Actively defending blocks of time from interruptions, requests, and competing demands.
Pseudo-Set Framing - Creating a set or sequence of tasks increases a person's likelihood of following through to completion.
Psychology of Procrastination - Understanding the psychological patterns and causes behind why we procrastinate, from perfectionism to overwhelm.
Quarterly Notes - Quarterly reviews for strategic assessment and course correction.
Readwise - A service for capturing and reviewing highlights from various sources.
Resistance to Starting - The psychological barrier that makes beginning tasks more difficult than continuing them.
Reverse Goal Setting - A technique of working backwards from ambitious goals by imagining who you need to become to achieve them.
Satisficing - A decision-making strategy of accepting a 'good enough' option rather than seeking the optimal solution.
SCALE Method - A framework for leveraging AI through systematic capture, connection, and growth.
Scatter Focus - Intentionally letting your mind wander to generate ideas and make plans.
Scope Creep - The gradual expansion of project boundaries beyond original definitions.
Second Brain - A methodology for saving and systematically organizing your ideas and insights using digital tools.
Seek Feedback, Not Perfection - Prioritize getting real-world feedback over endlessly refining your work.
Self-Discipline - The ability to do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.
Shallow Work - Non-cognitively demanding, logistical tasks that don't create much new value.
Shiny Object Syndrome - The tendency to chase new tools and methods instead of mastering current ones.
Signal to Noise Ratio - The ratio of useful information to irrelevant or distracting information.
Signs of Perfectionism - Recognizing the warning signs that perfectionism is holding you back from progress and success.
Single-Tasking - Focusing completely on one task at a time rather than attempting to multitask.
Skimming - Rapidly reading to get an overview of content structure and main points without full comprehension.
Sleep Debt - The cumulative cost of inadequate sleep that must eventually be repaid.
Small Wins - Achieving incremental progress through manageable accomplishments to build momentum.
SMART Goals - Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
SN(A)CK System - A PKM system inspired by Zettelkasten that simplifies the thinking process from inputs through processing to outputs, with creation as the key to learning.
Solitude and Productivity - Removing external stimuli creates space for deeper reflection, focus, and creative thinking.
Speed Reading - Techniques aimed at increasing reading speed while maintaining adequate comprehension.
Start Before You Are Ready - Begin taking action now rather than waiting for perfect conditions that may never arrive.
Start Small - Begin any endeavor with small, manageable steps rather than ambitious leaps, making progress easier and more sustainable.
Starting Ritual - A consistent routine that signals the transition into focused work mode.
Stimulated Attention - Reactive attention captured by external stimuli, often leading to distraction and time waste.
Structured Procrastination - Using procrastination productively by working on important tasks while avoiding the most important one.
Sunday Reset - A weekly preparation and planning ritual performed at the end of the week to set yourself up for success in the coming week.
Sustained Attention - The ability to maintain focus on a task over extended periods.
Synchronous Communication - Real-time communication where all parties participate simultaneously.
System Trashing - When a system is overloaded and spends more time managing itself than doing useful work.
Task Batching - Grouping similar tasks together to reduce context switching.
Task Initiation - The executive function skill of beginning tasks without excessive delay or procrastination.
Task Momentum - The tendency for ongoing work to continue more easily than starting or restarting.
Task Weights - Assigning abstract weight values to tasks to understand their relative size compared to other items in a backlog.
Technostress - Stress caused by technology use, constant connectivity, and the pressure to keep up with digital demands.
Templates - Pre-defined structures that standardize note creation and boost consistency.
Temptation Bundling - Pairing an activity you want to do with an activity you should do to make productive behaviors more enjoyable.
Text Expanders - Productivity applications that replace specific character sequences with longer text snippets, dramatically speeding up repetitive typing tasks.
The ONE Thing - Focus on the single most important task that makes everything else easier or unnecessary.
Theory Behind the PARA Method - The underlying principles and rationale that make the PARA organizational method effective.
Third Place - Social environments separate from home (first) and work (second) that foster community.
3-3-3 Method - A daily structure: 3 hours on one project, 3 shorter tasks, 3 maintenance activities.
Time Audit - A systematic process of tracking and analyzing how you spend your time to identify patterns, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
Time Blindness - Difficulty perceiving time accurately, common in ADHD and affecting planning.
Time Blocking Failure Modes - Common ways time blocking fails and strategies to address them.
Time Blocking Variants - A comparison of three related time management techniques: task blocking, timeboxing, and day theming, each offering different approaches to structuring your schedule.
Time Blocking - Scheduling specific blocks of time for different tasks or activities.
Time Boxing - Allocating a fixed time period to an activity, then stopping when time expires.
Time Confetti - Fragmented bits of time scattered throughout the day that are hard to use productively.
Time Debt - The accumulated backlog of time obligations and commitments that consume future capacity and create ongoing stress.
Time Horizons - Different time scales for planning, from daily tasks to lifetime goals.
Time Investment - Spending time now in ways that create returns of time, value, or capability in the future.
Time Optimism - The tendency to underestimate how long tasks will take and overcommit future time.
Time Poverty - The chronic feeling of having too little time despite increases in objective free time.
Time Scarcity Mindset - A mental framework that perceives time as perpetually insufficient, driving rushed behavior.
Time Timer - A visual timer that displays remaining time as a shrinking colored disk.
TOCLA Approach - Turn one idea into five content pieces: Teach, Observe, Contrarian, Listicle, Analyze.
Tools for Thought - Software and methods designed to augment human thinking and knowledge work.
Top of Mind Note - A note tracking current priorities, projects, and focus areas.
Touch Typing - A typing technique where typists use muscle memory to locate keys without looking at the keyboard, enabling faster and more accurate text input.
Traction vs Distraction - Traction pulls you toward your goals while distraction pulls you away; they are opposite forces competing for your attention.
Traction - Actions that pull us toward achieving our goals, the opposite of distraction.
Transition Costs - The mental and temporal overhead of moving between different tasks or contexts.
Transition Rituals - Routines that mark the shift between different work modes or between work and rest.
Trigger-Routine-Reward - The three-part structure of habits: cue that triggers behavior, routine performed, and reward received.
Two-Minute Rule - If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately.
Types of Productivity - A holistic framework identifying four types of productivity: task, intellectual, emotional, and social.
Types of Rest - Seven types of rest we all need: physical, mental, emotional, social, creative, spiritual, sensory.
Ultradian Rhythms - Natural 90-120 minute cycles of energy and focus that occur throughout the day.
Ulysses Contract - A pre-commitment device where you bind your future self to a decision made in a moment of clarity.
Urgency Addiction - The compulsive need for urgent tasks and crises, avoiding important but non-urgent work.
Velocity vs Speed - Distinguishing productive progress toward goals from mere activity or motion.
Via Negativa - Improvement through subtraction and elimination rather than addition - what you don't do matters as much as what you do.
Vibe Coding - AI-assisted coding approach where developers guide AI agents through natural language to write and refine code.
Weekly Notes - Weekly summaries and reviews for reflection and planning.
Why You Need a Personal Organization System - Understanding the compelling reasons for building a personal organization system: from escaping overwhelm to creating leverage for success.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) - A hierarchical decomposition of a project into smaller, manageable components.
Work Cycles - Structured periods of focused work alternating with breaks for sustainable productivity.
Work In Progress (WIP) - Ongoing work that should be limited to maintain productivity and avoid system overload.
Work-Life Balance - The equilibrium between professional work and personal life activities.
Work-Life Fit - Finding your personal harmony between work demands and life goals rather than seeking perfect balance.
Work-Life Integration - An approach where life takes priority and work is adjusted to fit around personal goals, not the reverse.
Write Once Read Never - Information that is captured but never accessed again.
Writer's Block - The experience of being unable to write, often due to perfectionism, fear, or unclear thinking.
Writing Process - The stages and workflow of creating written content from idea to finished piece.
Writing Routine - Consistent habits and practices that support regular, productive writing.
You Aren't Gonna Need It (YAGNI) - Don't implement functionality until it's actually needed.
You Aren't Gonna Read It (YAGRI) - A reminder to filter out noise and accept that most content won't be read.
Yearly Notes - Annual reviews for big-picture reflection and long-term planning.
Yerkes-Dodson Law - Performance increases with arousal up to a point, then decreases with too much arousal.
YOLO Mode - A development approach where AI agents are granted broad execution permissions to work autonomously without per-action approval.
Zeigarnik Effect - The tendency to remember uncompleted tasks better than completed ones.
Zen Productivity - A mindful, minimalist approach to productivity focused on simplicity and presence.

← Back to all concepts