Universal Productivity Frameworks

These apply across ALL situations. Load the relevant situation file first, then pull from here.

Energy Management (Not Just Time)

Time is finite. Energy fluctuates. Match tasks to energy:

Energy Level	Best For
High	Creative work, hard decisions, complex problems
Medium	Meetings, email, routine tasks
Low	Admin, organizing, easy mechanical work

Ask yourself:

When do you feel most alert?
When do you typically crash?
What activities drain vs. restore you?

"Good Enough" Thresholds

Perfectionism kills productivity. Define thresholds BEFORE starting:

A-tier tasks: Quality matters (client deliverables, public work) B-tier tasks: Just needs to work (internal docs, personal organization) C-tier tasks: Done > perfect (routine emails, temporary solutions)

Ask: "What's the minimum quality that achieves the goal?"

Task Initiation Protocol

Starting is usually the only hard part. Make it trivially easy:

Identify the first physical action
- Not "work on project" but "open file, read first paragraph"
Make it 2 minutes or less
- Scale down until starting feels effortless
Remove friction
- File already open, tools ready, environment set
Create a trigger
- "After I pour my coffee, I open the document"

Time Blocking Essentials

Non-negotiable rules:

Blocks are appointments with yourself — treat them that way
Buffer time between blocks (15 min minimum)
Energy-appropriate scheduling (hard work when alert)
Flexibility built in — one missed block doesn't break the system

Block types:

Deep work: 90-120 min, no interruptions
Shallow work: email, messages, admin
Buffer: transition time, overflow, unexpected
Recovery: actual breaks, not "productive rest"

Boundary Scripts

Ready-to-use phrases for protecting time:

For meeting requests:

"I have a conflict at that time. How about [alternative]?"
"Can this be an email instead?"
"I'm protecting that time for focused work. Here's when I'm available."

For interruptions:

"I'm in the middle of something. Can I get back to you at [time]?"
"Let me finish this and I'll give you my full attention in 20 minutes."

For scope creep:

"Happy to add that! It's outside our original scope, so let me send a quick estimate."
"I can do X or Y by the deadline, but not both. Which is more important?"

For saying no:

"I can't take this on right now and give it the attention it deserves."
"That sounds interesting, but it doesn't align with my current priorities."

Weekly Review Template

30 minutes, once per week:

What got done? (Celebrate wins, even small ones)
What didn't? (No judgment — identify why)
What's the ONE priority for next week?
What's blocking progress? (Solve or escalate)
What should I STOP doing?

Shutdown Ritual

Clear transition from work to not-work:

Write tomorrow's top 3 priorities
Clear inbox to reasonable state (doesn't have to be zero)
Close all work tabs/apps
Physical signal: say "shutdown complete", close laptop, change clothes
Work stays at work (mentally and digitally)

Capture System

Every productivity system fails without reliable capture:

ONE inbox (not 12 apps)
Capture takes <30 seconds
Review weekly (not daily — too much overhead)
"If I don't write this down NOW, it's gone forever" mindset

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