Putting It All Together: Compounding Habits and Real-World Examples
None of these habits exist in a vacuum. Their true power is unlocked when they start working together, creating a compounding system that supports deep, focused work.
Think about how they chain together. The 10-minute desk reset at night makes it effortless to sit down and write your 1-3-5 plan in the morning. That plan gives you the exact tasks to plug into your calendar using timeboxing. A time audit reveals that your afternoons are low-energy, so you learn to schedule creative work in the morning and batch administrative tasks for later in the day. Your one-screen phone setup ensures that a timeboxed deep work session is actually protected from distraction.
Each habit makes the next one easier to perform. This is the essence of building a sustainable system. It’s not about a constant, draining battle of willpower. It’s about creating an ecosystem where productivity is the natural outcome.
A word of caution: guard against over-optimization. The goal is not to schedule every minute of your life or to become a productivity robot. The purpose of these systems is to free up your mind and energy for what truly matters—creative thinking, strategic problem-solving, and being present with your family and friends. Use the systems to serve your life, not the other way around.
Worked Example 1: The Busy Manager
Scenario: Sarah is a department head with a calendar full of back-to-back meetings. She feels like she spends her entire day putting out fires and has no time for strategic planning, her most important responsibility.
Her System:
1. Time Audit: She tracks her time for three days and discovers she’s spending nearly 90 minutes a day on “drive-by” interruptions and low-priority emails.
2. Timeboxing & Batching: She blocks out a 90-minute “No-Interruption Focus Block” on her calendar every morning from 9:00 to 10:30 AM. This is non-negotiable time for strategic work. She also schedules two 30-minute blocks for batch-processing email at 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM.
3. 1-3-5 Rule: Each morning during her commute (not at her desk), she defines her 1-3-5. Her “one big thing” is always a task related to her strategic goals, which she tackles during her morning focus block.
Worked Example 2: The Solo Maker
Scenario: David is a freelance writer. He has total control over his schedule, but the lack of structure leads to procrastination. He finds himself starting his important writing projects late in the day when his creative energy is gone.
His System:
1. Desk Reset: He starts with the 10-minute desk reset. This simple ritual signals the definitive end of his workday, helping him prevent work from bleeding into his personal time.
2. Timeboxing: Using insights about his own energy levels, he timeboxes his “one big thing”—writing 1,000 words—from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM every single day. This is when he is sharpest.
3. One-Screen Phone: During his writing block, his phone is in another room. He has ruthlessly curated his phone using the one-screen method, so even when he does use it, it’s not a source of endless distraction. The afternoon is batched for client calls, invoicing, and research.
