You’re deep in thought, finally making progress on that important project. Then… ding. A new email. Buzz. A message on Teams. Oh, and don’t forget that meeting in 15 minutes!

Sound familiar?

It’s no wonder we often end our days feelings like we’ve been busy but unproductive. Our schedule is fragmented, leaving us stressed, with a vague but real sense that we can’t quite get a grasp on everything—or even on anything.

When you’re constantly jumping back and forth, especially between quick communication and tasks that require hard thinking—that doesn’t go well, does it?

Our brains need time to settle into a task, to get into the flow. Every time we shift from deep work to responding to a message, it’s like we’re resetting our mental gears. It takes time to get back into the groove, and often, we never quite make it there before the next interruption comes along.

By intentionally separating when we focus on complex tasks and when we communicate with others, you can give your brain the space it needs to fully engage with either type of work.

You probably know this intuitively—that you’d be more productive not trying to focus and communicate at the same time. But how do you actually make it happen in practice?

Try the “focus, then connect” tactic:

1. Open your calendar right now.
2. Find a two-hour block of time that’s currently free this week.
3. Label this block as “Focus Time”.
4. Then—and this is crucial—schedule another block called “Connect Time”.

During focus time, close your email and messaging apps. During connect time, catch up on communications and check in with people.

It’s crucial to make time for focusing AND to make time for connecting and communicating. If you don’t believe you’ll get around to the connecting and communicating later, you might not actually allow yourself to focus.

(Pro tip for Google Calendar users: use the dedicated “Focus Time” feature, which allows you to automatically decline meetings.)

And set yourself up for success during your focus time. Set up do not disturb or a “Focus” mode to reduce or (ideally) completely eliminate notifications. This way, you’re much more likely to stay in the zone.

When you have dedicated focus time, you’ll make more progress on complex tasks and important projects. And when you have dedicated communication time, you’ll be more thoughtful when connecting with others, too.

Sometimes, we try to get really complex with our productivity systems, when really we just need to execute on the basics. Pick the next thing to work on, then focus on that task. When you run out of steam, evaluate what you should work on next, then give that task your full attention.

You got this.

Have a good week!

​

P.S. Executing on the productivity basics is what you’ll learn and practice in my upcoming course, Productivity 101. Staying on top of your communication while also finding time to focus is one of the key course topics.

​

Watch: What’s New in Apple Notes and Reminders?

Apple Notes is getting some fantastic new features in iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, including voice memos with transcription, math support, and an easier way to attach files to notes.

Meanwhile, Reminders is getting a long-awaited feature: calendar integration! You’ll be able to create, view, edit, and complete reminders right in the calendar app.

Let me show you!

​