gh-lyndonkl-claude/skills/focus-timeboxing-8020/resources/methodology.md

Focus, Timeboxing, and 80/20 Methodology

Advanced techniques for deep work, energy management, and high-impact prioritization.

Table of Contents

1. Deep Work and Focus Blocks
2. Timeboxing Techniques
3. Execution Discipline
4. Energy Management and Optimization
5. 80/20 Principle Applications
6. Advanced Strategies

---

1. Deep Work and Focus Blocks

What Is Deep Work?

Definition (Cal Newport): "Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate."

Shallow work: Non-cognitively demanding tasks performed while distracted. Easy to replicate, low value creation.

Why deep work matters:

• Creates disproportionate value (complex problems solved, creative breakthroughs)
• Builds rare skills faster (deliberate practice requires deep focus)
• Produces flow states (intrinsically satisfying, high-quality output)
• Increasingly rare in distracted world (competitive advantage)

Setting Up Deep Work Blocks

Pre-work (5-10 min before block):

1. Clear outcome: What specific output by end of session? (e.g., "Draft sections 1-3 of spec" not "work on spec")
2. Gather resources: All documents, links, code, notes accessible. No mid-session searching.
3. Eliminate distractions:
   • Quit Slack/Teams (not just close, quit)
   • Close email tab/app
   • Phone in different room or airplane mode
   • Close all browser tabs except work-related
   • Set status to DND/Busy
   • Noise-canceling headphones if open office
4. Set timer: Visual timer (not phone) to track remaining time

During deep work:

• Single task only: No context-switching. If new task occurs, write in notebook for later.
• No checking: Email, Slack, news, social media forbidden. Even "quick check" destroys 15+ min of focus.
• Capture tangents: Keep notebook for off-topic ideas. Write them down, return to focus.
• Push through resistance: First 10-15 min feels hard. Push through. Flow state arrives ~15-20 min in.

After deep work:

• Take break: Non-negotiable. Walk, stretch, look outside. Don't skip.
• Capture progress: Quick note on what got done, what's next session.
• Resist shallow work: Don't immediately check email. Take actual break first.

Optimal Duration

Research findings (Ericsson, Newport, Csikszentmihalyi):

• Beginners: 60-90 min max before fatigue
• Experienced: 90-120 min max
• Elite experts: 4 hours per day max across 2-3 sessions

Why 90 min is magic number:

• Matches ultradian rhythm (90-120 min cycles of alertness)
• Long enough for flow state, short enough to sustain intensity
• Human attention naturally declines after ~90 min

Progressive training:

• Week 1-2: 25 min (Pomodoro) × 2 per day
• Week 3-4: 50 min × 2 per day
• Week 5-6: 90 min × 2 per day
• Maintenance: 90 min × 2-3 per day

Don't exceed capacity: 3 hours deep work (2× 90min blocks) > 8 hours shallow work. Quality over quantity.

---

2. Timeboxing Techniques

Parkinson's Law

"Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." - C. Northcote Parkinson

Implication: Give yourself less time, get more done. Time constraints force:

• Prioritization (what really matters?)
• Elimination of perfectionism (good enough > perfect never shipped)
• Faster decision-making (no time for overthinking)

Example:

• Task: "Write product spec"
• Open-ended: Takes 3 weeks (perfectionism, scope creep, procrastination)
• Timeboxed (4 hours): Forces clarity, ships in 1 day

Timeboxing Methods

Fixed Duration, Flexible Scope (Agile approach):

• Allocate fixed time (e.g., 90 min)
• Define minimum viable output (MVP)
• Accept that you may not finish everything
• Better than: Flexible time, fixed scope (leads to endless expansion)

Example (writing blog post):

• Timebox: 2 hours
• MVP: Draft with intro, 3 main points, conclusion (even if rough)
• Nice-to-have: Polish, examples, images (skip if time runs out)
• Ship MVP. Perfect later if needed.

Hard Deadlines:

• Schedule end time, not just start time
• Calendar block: 9:00-10:30am (not "9am - ?")
• Set alarm for 10 min before end (wrap-up time)
• Hard stop at end time, even if incomplete

Progressive Timeboxing (for large projects):

• Break into phases, timebox each
• Example (feature development):
  • Phase 1: Research & design (4 hours)
  • Phase 2: Implementation (8 hours across 4× 2hr blocks)
  • Phase 3: Testing & polish (4 hours)
• Ship at end of each phase or pivot if needed

When to Use Each Duration

25 min (Pomodoro):

• High-resistance tasks (procrastination strong)
• Building focus habit (beginners)
• Routine tasks (email, code reviews)
• Low energy but need to make progress

50-60 min:

• Moderate complexity (not deep work, not trivial)
• Mixed tasks (some focus, some collaboration)
• Good for meetings (default 30/60 min in most calendars)

90 min (Deep Work):

• Complex thinking (strategy, architecture, writing)
• Creative work (design, coding new features)
• Peak energy periods (morning for most)
• Maximum 3× per day

2-4 hours (Maker's Schedule):

• Breakthrough work (research paper, product launch)
• Flow-state tasks (coding, writing, design)
• Once per week minimum for knowledge workers
• Requires complete calendar control

---

3. Execution Discipline

Eliminating Distractions

Phone discipline:

• Physical separation (different room) > Airplane mode > Face down
• Why: "I'll just check once" never works. Checking is compulsive.
• Emergency: Give family/manager alternate contact (desk phone, colleague)

Slack/Teams/Email:

• Quit app (not minimize) during deep work
• Schedule checks: 11am, 4pm (2× per day max)
• Set auto-responder: "Checking email 2× daily. Urgent? Text/call."
• Batch responses: Write all replies in one session

Browser discipline:

• Close all tabs except work-related (before deep work)
• Block sites during focus (Freedom, Cold Turkey, LeechBlock)
• Use separate browser/profile for work vs. personal

Environmental setup:

• Visual signal (headphones, sign) to discourage interruptions
• Office door closed (if available)
• Book conference room for deep work (escape open office)
• Work from home on deep work days (if remote possible)

Managing Interruptions

Protocol for "urgent" interruptions:

1. Defer: "I'm in focus time until 11am. Can it wait?" (90% can)
2. Delegate: "Can [colleague] help?" (transfer to someone with slack capacity)
3. Batch: "Send me details, I'll address at 11am" (add to batch list)
4. Emergency only: True emergency (production down, customer escalation)

Training others:

• Communicate schedule: "Deep work 9-11am daily, no interruptions"
• Be consistent: If you allow interruptions sometimes, they'll keep trying
• Offer alternatives: "Free after 2pm for questions"

Beating Procrastination

Why we procrastinate:

• Task ambiguity (unclear what to do)
• Perceived difficulty (feels overwhelming)
• Perfectionism (fear of imperfect output)
• Lack of deadlines (infinite time = infinite delay)

Solutions:

1. Break into tiny first step: "Write introduction paragraph" not "Write chapter"
2. Use 25-min Pomodoro: Commit to just 25 min. Lower activation energy.
3. Set artificial deadline: "Draft by 5pm today" creates urgency
4. Remove perfection: "First draft is allowed to suck" (can revise later)
5. Start with easiest part: Build momentum, then tackle hard part

Two-Minute Rule: If task <2 min, do immediately. Don't timebox or add to list. Clear small tasks fast.

---

4. Energy Management and Optimization

Circadian Rhythms and Peak Hours

Typical energy pattern (most people):

• 6-9am: Peak (early risers) - deep work optimal
• 9am-12pm: Peak (most people) - deep work optimal
• 12-2pm: Lunch dip - social/meetings work well
• 2-3pm: Trough (post-lunch crash) - worst time for focus
• 3-5pm: Recovery - moderate work, planning
• Evening: Low - rest, routine, NOT deep work

Individual variation:

• Track your energy for 1 week (rate 1-5 every 2 hours)
• Plot pattern: When peak? When trough?
• Schedule accordingly: Deep work during peak, admin during trough

Chronotype differences:

• Larks (morning people): Peak 6-10am
• Owls (night people): Peak 4-9pm
• Third birds (majority): Peak 10am-1pm

Energy Optimization Strategies

Protect peak hours ruthlessly:

• No meetings during peak (9-12am for most)
• No email/Slack during peak
• Deep work only during peak
• Schedule everything else around peak

Match intensity to energy:

Energy Level	Task Type	Examples
Peak	Deep work	Writing, coding, strategy, design
High	Moderate work	Code reviews, planning, learning
Medium	Meetings	1:1s, standups, collaboration
Low	Admin	Email, expense reports, organizing
Very Low	Rest	Walk, nap, reading (not work)

Energy recovery:

• Breaks between blocks: 10-15 min every 90 min (non-negotiable)
• Lunch away from desk: Actual break, not "working lunch"
• Walking meetings: Movement boosts energy for afternoon
• 20-min power nap: (2-3pm) resets energy if crash is severe
• Hard stop at 5pm: Evening rest prevents next-day burnout

Sleep is non-negotiable:

• 7-9 hours per night (not negotiable despite "hustle culture")
• Insufficient sleep → degraded focus, poor decisions, low output
• One all-nighter destroys focus for 3-4 days

---

5. 80/20 Principle Applications

Beyond Task Lists

80/20 applies everywhere:

• Code: 20% of functions contain 80% of bugs
• Customers: 20% of customers generate 80% of revenue
• Features: 20% of features drive 80% of usage
• Meetings: 20% of meetings produce 80% of value
• Relationships: 20% of people provide 80% of support/value

Implication: Identify and focus on vital 20%, minimize/eliminate trivial 80%.

Identifying Your 20%

Questions to ask:

1. "If I could only work 10 hours this week, what would I do?"
2. "Which tasks, if done excellently, make everything else easier or unnecessary?"
3. "What creates 10× value vs. 1× value?"
4. "What will matter in 6 months? 12 months?"
5. "What am I uniquely positioned to do? (vs. delegate/eliminate)"

Force ranking exercise:

• List all tasks/projects/commitments
• Force rank 1 to N (no ties allowed)
• Top 20% = vital few
• Bottom 80% = delegate, defer, eliminate, or batch

Eliminating/Delegating the 80%

Strategies:

• Eliminate: Stop doing entirely. Many tasks done by inertia, not necessity.
• Delegate: Transfer to someone else (team member, contractor, automation).
• Defer: "Someday/maybe" list. Revisit quarterly. Most stay deferred forever (good).
• Batch: Group low-value tasks (email, admin) into single session vs. scattered throughout day.
• Automate: Script, template, or tool replaces manual work.

Permission to say no: If not in top 20%, default answer is "no" or "not now." Saying yes to everything means no time for vital few.

---

6. Advanced Strategies

Maker's Schedule vs. Manager's Schedule

Manager's Schedule (Paul Graham):

• Day divided into 1-hour blocks
• Calendar full of meetings
• Context-switching between tasks
• Works for coordination, decisions, people management

Maker's Schedule:

• Day divided into half-day or full-day blocks
• Uninterrupted time for creating (code, writing, design)
• Context-switching is enemy
• Works for technical/creative work

Conflict: Managers schedule "quick 30-min meeting" that destroys maker's 4-hour block.

Solution for makers:

• Office hours: Available for meetings Tue/Thu 2-5pm only
• Deep work blocks: Mon/Wed/Fri mornings protected (no meetings)
• Communicate: "I'm on maker's schedule. Half-days only for focus work."

Theme Days

Dedicate each day to single theme (reduce context-switching across days).

Example:

• Monday: Deep work on Project A (code/write all day)
• Tuesday: Meetings + collaboration (batched)
• Wednesday: Deep work on Project B
• Thursday: Meetings + admin
• Friday: Planning, learning, cleanup

Benefits:

• Single context per day (vs. switching hourly)
• Easier to protect full days vs. hour blocks
• Clearer boundaries (teammates know Monday = no meetings)

Strategic Quitting

Sunk cost fallacy: Continuing projects/tasks because "already invested time."

Better: Evaluate based on future value, not past investment.

Quarterly review:

• List all commitments/projects
• For each: "If I weren't already doing this, would I start today?"
• If no → quit, even if significant past investment

Example: Drop committee membership (2 hours/week), reclaim 100 hours/year for vital few.

Deep Work Rituals

Location ritual:

• Same place every day for deep work (trains brain: "This desk = focus mode")
• Or: Dedicated space (library, coffee shop) exclusively for deep work

Time ritual:

• Same time every day (e.g., 9-11am)
• Brain learns pattern, enters focus mode faster

Startup ritual (5-10 min before deep work):

• Make coffee/tea
• Review session goal
• Close distractions
• Set timer
• Begin

Shutdown ritual (end of day):

• Review what got done
• Plan tomorrow's top priority
• Close all work tabs/apps
• Clear desk
• "Shutdown complete" phrase (signals brain: work done, rest mode)

Accountability Systems

Public commitment:

• Share goals with colleague/friend
• Weekly check-in on deep work hours completed
• Accountability partner does same

Tracking:

• Log focus blocks completed (quality, duration, distractions)
• Review weekly: "Completed X hours deep work vs. Y hours planned"
• Adjust next week based on data

Reward systems:

• Small reward after completing focus block (walk, good coffee, 15-min break)
• Larger reward after productive week (nice meal, movie, guilt-free weekend)

Commitment devices:

• Beeminder (pay money if don't meet goal)
• StickK (pledge to charity if fail)
• Public declaration (blog, Twitter) creates social pressure

Focus Stacking

Concept: Use momentum from one focus block to fuel next.

Pattern:

• 90 min deep work → 15 min break → 90 min deep work
• Same general topic/project (don't switch contexts)
• Total: 3 hours deep work in one morning

When to stack:

• Critical deadline approaching
• High-complexity work requiring sustained thought
• Peak energy day (well-rested, healthy)

When NOT to stack:

• Low energy (quality degrades)
• Multiple unrelated projects (context-switching negates benefit)
• After meetings or interruptions (focus already fractured)

Maximum: 2 stacked blocks (3 hours total). Beyond that, quality tanks.

---

Key Takeaways

1. Deep work is trainable: Start with 25-min Pomodoros, build to 90-min blocks over weeks. Don't expect instant focus.

2. Parkinson's Law is your friend: Shorter timeboxes force prioritization and prevent perfectionism. Constrain time to boost output.

3. Energy > Time: 3 hours peak-energy deep work beats 8 hours exhausted shallow work. Schedule deep work during peak hours only.

4. 80/20 requires discipline: Everything feels important. Force rank ruthlessly. Top 20% gets 80% of focus time. Say no to the rest.

5. Distractions are enemy: One Slack check destroys 15+ min of focus. Eliminate during deep work. Quit apps, not just minimize.

6. Breaks are productivity tools: Skipping breaks degrades focus exponentially. 90 min work → 15 min break is optimal cycle.

7. Consistency beats intensity: 2 hours deep work daily (10 hrs/week) beats one 12-hour marathon followed by burnout. Sustainable pace wins.