The full catalog
Everything for focus
762 entries pulled from 62 stacks. Items are ordered by how many tracked people are on record about them, including discussion, use and recommendations.
Filter counts cover the full catalog. Type, goal and cost filters apply to items only.
Items
103 entries
Reset- HabitFREE, no cost01
Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
On record from 25 of 62 tracked people: 23 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost02
Daily meditation
10-20 minutes of formal practice, most days
On record from 21 of 62 tracked people: 17 do it, 1 recommends it, 3 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost03
Deliberate solitude
Regular time with your own thoughts and no other inputs
On record from 12 of 62 tracked people: 9 do it, 3 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost04
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
On record from 11 of 62 tracked people: 10 do it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost05
Daily writing
Write something every day, published or not
On record from 10 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it, 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost06
Morning sunlight exposure
Bright outdoor light soon after waking, 5-30 minutes and no sunglasses
On record from 10 of 62 tracked people: 6 do it, 3 recommend it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost07
Environment design
Change the room instead of relying on willpower
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 5 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost08
Napping
Short early-afternoon naps: useful, but easy to get wrong
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 1 recommends it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost09
Time blocking
Give every hour of the workday a job before the day starts
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost10
Deep work blocks
Long, scheduled, distraction-free sessions on one cognitively hard task
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost11
Phone out of the bedroom
Charge it in another room and buy an actual alarm clock
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost12
Phone-free first hour
No email, news or social media until you have done something of your own
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost13
Pre-workout music
Headphones on, a set playlist, and a fixed cue to switch into training mode
On record from 5 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it - HabitFREE, no cost14
Daily prayer
A fixed time for prayer each morning, before the phone and before the day starts
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it - HabitFREE, no cost15
Margin notes
Writing in the margins while reading, especially where you disagree with the author
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost16
Personal mantra
A quote kept where you will see it before you perform, taped up or written on your gear
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it - HabitFREE, no cost17
Thinking retreats
Blocks of time cleared of the schedule to sit with one hard problem
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost18
Circle of competence
Work only inside the area you can genuinely evaluate, and know exactly where its edge is
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 recommend it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost19
Quitting social media
Deleting the accounts rather than trying to use them less
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost20
Written goal sheet
Goals written down, in numbers, and kept where you see them every morning
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost21
Deliberate wandering
Unplanned, inefficient exploration kept on purpose as the counterweight to efficiency
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost22
Digital declutter
A 30-day break from optional tech, then reintroduce deliberately
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost23
Hard thinking before lunch
Book the mentally demanding work for the morning and stop making big calls late in the day
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost24
Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR)
10-20 minute guided body-scan rest, sometimes called yoga nidra
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost25
Open calendar
An appointment book kept almost empty so most days are free for reading and thinking
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost26
Physiological sigh
Two inhales through the nose, one long exhale; heart rate drops within seconds
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost27
Pomodoro technique
Work in timed sprints, usually 25 minutes on and 5 minutes off
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost28
Shipping creative work
Publishing on a schedule rather than waiting for the work to feel ready
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 recommends it - AppFREE, no cost29On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it
- ProtocolFREE, no cost30
Vision setting
Write down a specific picture of who you are becoming, then filter decisions through it
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
20-slot punch card rule
Imagine a lifetime card with only 20 punches: every big decision has to earn one
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
3x5 notecard planning
Write the next day's three to five most important tasks on a single index card
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
5 Second Rule countdown
Count 5-4-3-2-1 out loud and move before hesitation talks you out of it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
A few high-quality decisions a day
Aim for three well-made decisions rather than a hundred rushed ones
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - AppFREE, no cost
Anki
Free, open-source flashcards that schedule reviews just before you would forget
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Anti-to-do list
A short written list of behaviors to avoid, kept beside the ordinary to-do list
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Asking for criticism
Book regular time with your manager and ask what you should be doing better
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Aspirational hourly rate
Setting a personal hourly price far above what you earn, then honoring it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Attention management
Pick what deserves your focus instead of counting the minutes
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Automatic rules
Decide the behavior once, as a rule, so it is not decided in the moment
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Backward planning
Start from the fixed deadline, list what has to happen before it, then work back
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Batch processing email
Sit down once and clear thirty or a hundred messages in a run
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Blackout poetry
Making a poem by blacking out most of a printed page with a marker
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Blank sheet method
Write what you already know before reading, then add each session in a new color
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Box breathing
Inhale, hold, exhale, hold, each for a count of four, repeated for a few minutes
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Challenge network
A named group whose job is to attack your work, not encourage it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Chess
Short games used as a mental reset between blocks of demanding work
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
CODE method
Capture, organize, distill, express: four steps from reading to output
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Commonplace book
A notebook kept only for quotes and passages copied out of what you read
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Cookie jar
A mental store of past wins to draw on when you want to quit
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily design
Writing the day ahead in the past tense, then scoring it out of ten at night
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Day one, week one mentality
Show up every day as prepared as you were on the first day of the job
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Decision journal
Record the reasoning before the outcome is known, then read it back later
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - AppFREE, no cost
Insight Timer
Meditation app built around a configurable timer and interval bells
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - AppFREE, no cost
Instapaper
Save articles now and read them later on a plain, offline page
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Intermediate packets
Finish one small reusable piece per work session, not the whole project
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Inversion
Ask what would guarantee failure, then avoid those things
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Jotting ideas the night before
Rough notes at bedtime, organized writing the next morning
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Killing the ANTs
Writing down automatic negative thoughts and putting each one on trial
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Learning something new daily
A short block each day on a skill you have never had before
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Maker days and manager days
Whole days given to creative work or to other people, never both
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Mastery hobbies
Recovering through a demanding hobby rather than through rest
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Microburst
Set a timer for ten minutes, then stop when it goes off
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Monk Mode
Shutting out the world for months to finish one large piece of work
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Naming your inner critic
Give the voice in your head a name so you can hear it as separate from you
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
No meetings
Declining meetings and answering in writing instead
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
No television
Cutting TV out of solo hours, keeping it as something done with other people
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
No-phone zones
Named rooms, hours and events where the phone is not allowed at all
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - AppFREE, no costOn record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
- HabitFREE, no cost
Notifications turned off
No alerts, no badges and no social apps, so the phone only interrupts when you let it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - AppFREE, no cost
Obsidian
Markdown note app that stores linked plain-text files in a folder you own
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
One Page Miracle
One sheet naming what you want in relationships, work, money and health
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
PARA method
Sort every note and file into projects, areas, resources or archives
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Personal Quarterly Offsite
Companies do this every quarter; the same session run for one person
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Phone away in conversation
Put the phone out of sight when someone starts talking to you
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Positive framing
State the outcome you want instead of the one you are trying to avoid
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Pre-Mortem
Name what will derail this before you start, not in the postmortem
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Progressive muscle relaxation
Tensing and releasing muscle groups in order to find and drop held tension
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Progressive summarization
Compress a note in layers, adding one only when you open it again
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Public library
Borrowing instead of buying, and browsing shelves instead of recommendations
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Quitting the news
Dropping the daily news cycle rather than trying to follow it more carefully
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Reading books out of order
Many books open at once, opened at whatever section fits your mood that day
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Reading history
Put the reading hours into what already happened rather than into forecasts
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Rereading a small set of books
Going back through the best hundred books repeatedly rather than chasing new ones
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Rereading your notebooks
Opening old notebooks to today's date in previous years, as a writing prompt
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Rewriting notes by hand
Copying the same material out longhand, daily, until it sticks
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Second-order thinking
Keep asking and then what until the picture of the consequences stops changing
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - AppFREE, no costOn record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
- ProtocolFREE, no cost
Silent meditation retreat
Ten residential days of silence and long sitting, no reading or phone
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Six-page narrative memo
A written memo read silently at the start of the meeting, in place of slides
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Specific knowledge
Building the kind of skill nobody knows how to teach, by following real curiosity
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
The 1-2-3 Method
One essential task, two urgent ones, three maintenance items, then stop
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
The 40% rule
The idea that when your mind says you are done, you are at about 40 percent
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
The 85 percent rule
Working at about 85 percent effort so relaxation and form do the rest
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
The Golden Circle
Explain why, then how, then what, in that order
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
The smallest viable audience
Naming the fewest people you need to serve well, then building only for them
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Training as practice
Treating a session as skill rehearsal rather than a workout to be survived
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Twelve favorite problems
Hold a dozen open questions in mind and test what you read against them
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Visualization
Rehearsing a performance in your head before you do it for real
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Water before coffee
A full glass of water on waking, before the first cup of coffee
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
WHY discovery exercise
Ask a close friend why you are friends, then listen for what they say about themselves
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - AppFREE, no cost
Wordle
The daily five-letter word puzzle, one game a day, scores shared with friends
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Work and downtime device modes
Two profiles on one device, switched on a clock, so the machine changes job
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed.