The full catalog
Everything for productivity
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
138 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
Journaling
Writing to unload the mind, usually first thing or last thing
On record from 14 of 62 tracked people: 13 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost03
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 cost04
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 cost05
Environment design
Change the room instead of relying on willpower
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 5 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost06
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 - HabitFREE, no cost07
Daily minimum workout
A floor you never drop below: 20 minutes of movement and recovery on your worst day
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 4 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost08
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 cost09
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 cost10
Weekly review
One scheduled hour a week to close loops and plan the next one
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 6 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost11
Identity-based habits
Aim at who you want to become, not the outcome you want to hit
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 4 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost12
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 cost13
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 cost14
Workday shutdown ritual
A fixed end-of-day routine that closes open loops so work stops
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost15
After-action review
Debrief what happened, what should have happened, and what changes
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost16
Deliberate discomfort
Choosing the thing you do not want to do, daily, as its own training
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost17
Habit stacking
Anchor a new habit to one you already do without thinking
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 recommends it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost18
Habit tracking
Mark the calendar every day you do it, then protect the chain
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost19
Never miss twice
One missed day is an accident; two is the start of a new habit
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 recommend it - AppFREE, no cost20
Notion
Flexible workspace used as a second brain, wiki and task system
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost21
Temptation bundling
Only allow yourself something you want while doing something you avoid
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost22
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 - AppFREE, no cost23
Apple Notes
The note app that ships on every Mac, iPhone and iPad, synced through iCloud
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost24
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 cost25
Digital declutter
A 30-day break from optional tech, then reintroduce deliberately
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 recommend it - AppFREE, no cost26
Google Docs
Browser word processor that syncs across devices
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost27
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 cost28
Minimalist training
Short, hard sessions built on a few sets per muscle, drop sets and non-competing supersets
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost29
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 cost30
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 cost31
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 cost32On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it
- HabitFREE, no cost33
Training first thing
The workout goes before the workday; a session planned for later tends not to happen
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost34
Two-minute rule
Scale any new habit down until it takes under two minutes to start
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost35
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 cost36
Yearly audit
Seven questions and a scroll through the year's photos before setting goals
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
80/20 analysis
List what produces results and what produces misery, then cut hard
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 - HabitFREE, no cost
A high savings rate
Bank a large share of income by spending well below what the income allows
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
ABC goal system
Set three levels for a daily goal so a bad day still counts as progress
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Accountability mirror
Telling yourself the blunt truth in the mirror every day, then fixing it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Act on the thing causing stress
Make the first call or send the first email on whatever is nagging at you
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 - AppFREE, no costOn 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 - HabitFREE, no cost
Asking for help
Four words, can you help me, used on purpose rather than as a last resort
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 - HabitFREE, no cost
Breaking one bad habit at a time
Dropping a single habit every six months and leaving everything else alone
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Budget and deadline discipline
Treating the number and the date as hard limits that end the project
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 - 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 - 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 - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Disagree and commit
State your objection once, then back the decision fully instead of relitigating it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Documenting the journey
Filming and publishing the work in progress, failures included, before it succeeds
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Energy calendar
Color-code each finished day's calendar by what created energy and what drained it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Evening reset
Clear today's mess and stage tomorrow before you go to bed
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Evening review
Going back over the day at night: what you did, said and could have handled better
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Extended sabbatical
A month or more entirely off work, announced well in advance
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
FBI feedback method
Say the feeling, then the behavior that caused it, then the impact it had
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Fear-setting
Write down the worst case, how to prevent it, and how to repair it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - AppFREE, no cost
GitHub
Where code and its review history live
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Implementation intentions
Decide in advance: I will do X at TIME in PLACE
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Inbox zero
Empty the inbox by deciding once where every message goes
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Infinite mindset
Play for staying in the game rather than for beating this quarter's number
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends 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 - HabitFREE, no cost
Keeping a streak
One thing every day, with an unbroken count of days as the rule
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
Lenten fasting
Forty days of giving something up, plus fast and meat-free days, in the Christian calendar
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Long-term games with long-term people
Picking work, partners and industries where you keep meeting the same people
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
Making the bed
The first completed task of the day, done before anything else
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Memento mori reminder
A daily, deliberate reminder that you are going to die
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
Morning puttering
A slow, unscheduled first hour or two: coffee, the paper, breakfast, no meetings
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does 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 meetings with strangers
A standing no to anyone with no existing reason to be meeting you
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 - AppFREE, no costOn record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
- ProtocolFREE, no cost
Obituary test
Decide what you want your obituary to say, then live so as to deserve it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends 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 - AppFREE, no cost
Overcast
iPhone podcast player with speed control and silence trimming
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does 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 calls after a workout
Spend the flat half hour after training on calls, not on hard work
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does 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 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
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 - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Reflected Best Self Exercise
Ask twenty people for a story of you at your best, then find the pattern
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Regret minimization framework
Picture yourself at 80 looking back, then pick the option you would regret least
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
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 - HabitFREE, no cost
Saved answers to common requests
Write the reply properly once, then send it every time it repeats
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Saying I don't know
Admit uncertainty out loud instead of producing a plausible answer
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Saying I get to instead of I have to
Swap one verb in your self-talk and the daily grind reads as a privilege
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Saying No Gracefully
A three step script for declining without wrecking the relationship
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends 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
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 - HabitFREE, no cost
Staying put
Not switching jobs, fields or cities, so skills and trust keep compounding
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Strategic quitting
Setting your quit conditions in advance, then quitting without drama
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 - HabitFREE, no cost
The brain check question
Asking whether a choice is good or bad for your brain before you make it
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 - AppFREE, no costOn record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
- AppFREE, no cost
Trello
Board and card app for tracking tasks and projects
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does 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
Two-a-day training
Splitting the day: an aerobic session in the morning, strength work later on
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Two-way door decisions
Sort choices by how reversible they are, then move fast on the reversible ones
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Uncomfortable conversations
Say out loud that the conversation will be hard before you start it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Walking meetings
Taking the conversation on foot instead of around a table, and ending it with the walk
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends 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 - 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 - AppFREE, no cost
X (Twitter)
Short public posts, used by some people as a thinking tool
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Yesterbox
Answer only yesterday's email today, so the queue never grows
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed.