The first hour of a workday has a strange job. It’s when you have the most energy and the least noise — and it’s exactly when most of us open eleven apps and start sorting.
The sorting trap
Sorting feels like progress. You read, you skim, you flag, you move a few things around. By 9:50 you know more about your day, but you haven’t done any of it.
“You don’t need to read everything. You need to know the three things that need you.”
What starting looks like
Starting is smaller than it sounds: one plan, three lines, each with a reason. Everything else waits — or gets handled without you.
Three lines, not thirty
A plan longer than three lines is a list in disguise. Keep the rest out of sight until it actually needs you.
Written by
Ines Varga
Co-founder of Stillform. Writes about mornings, meetings and doing less, better.
