Over the past five years, I think I’ve dived as far into the productivity rabbit hole as humanly possible. I’ve been juggling full-time jobs, freelancing, YouTube, living on my own, studying a language, maintaining relationships, and constantly having to translate bills from a language I don't understand.
But in all of this, I’ve been able to boil everything down to five essential activities. These activities save me so much time that I can now do all of the above and still find time to read, go out, learn Japanese, study, and write a newsletter. In this post, I’m going to share these activities with you and give you five things you can immediately do to clear up your time. Let’s dive into the essentials.
Pre-decide Everything To Be Reach New Productivity Levels
If you want to make your life as time-efficient as possible, this is the fastest way to get there. Pre-decide the clothes you’ll wear, the meals you’ll eat, the days you’ll go out, the mode of transport you’ll take, and even where you’ll park.
I even did this with dates. You know that moment when you’re at a restaurant, and the question “Where are we going to sit?” comes up? I’ve got rules for that too. Indoors? I always choose the spot with the best lighting, no matter the table. I just look up, find the best light, and that’s where I sit. Every time.
This eliminates the small, seemingly insignificant decisions that pile up, causing mental fatigue and wasted time. The grocery lists, the meal prep, the outfit selection for work—gone. Pre-deciding saves you hours each week and boosts the quality of your free time. Without these tiny decisions constantly weighing you down, you can focus on what truly matters.
Without decision fatigue, you act faster, and you’ll enter flow states much quicker, increasing your productivity and enjoyment. It’s not just about saving time; it’s about enhancing the quality of the time you do have, so you feel like you're actually making progress.
Batch Tasks by Energy Levels
We’ve all heard of batching tasks, but there’s a missing component we don't often talk about: batching by energy level. We all experience fluctuating energy throughout the day—what’s commonly known as green, yellow, and red zones. Green is when you’re fully energized, yellow is moderate energy, and red is the lowest.
For most of us with full-time jobs, we don’t get to choose when we’re in the green zone. My most energized time is between 8 AM and 12 PM, but guess what? I’m at work, like most of you are. When I get home, I’m in the red zone, tired, and still have things to do. That’s when batching by energy comes in handy.
Low-effort tasks like laundry, vacuuming, or washing dishes can be done during the red zone. You can even multitask—start the laundry, vacuum the house, and catch up with friends on a call. The more mentally taxing activities, like studying, writing, or editing videos, are saved for when you’re in the highest energy state you can afford after a hard days work.
By organizing tasks this way, you not only avoid task-switching costs but also maximize your productivity when you have energy to spare and relax when you don’t. It’s a simple shift that yields massive gains in both time and energy.
Create Trigger Activities
Trigger activities are routines that automatically prepare your mind and body for focused work. Think of it as Pavlov’s response for humans—just like dogs salivate when they hear a bell, you’ll train yourself to focus after a specific trigger activity.
For example, if you establish a habit of making tea before you sit down to work, over time, just brewing that tea will signal your brain to get into work mode. You’ll start reducing procrastination and jump into your tasks with minimal resistance. That one simple activity can trigger two hours of deep, focused work.
The key here is to condition yourself to expect productivity immediately after your trigger activity, and over time, you’ll find that getting started feels almost automatic.
Create a Weekly Focus Hour
A focus hour is a set time each week where you lay out all your upcoming tasks. No distractions. Just you, a calendar, and a clear mind. Start by listing unavoidable tasks—housework, appointments, relationship duties. Then move to your bigger goals—workouts, YouTube videos, studying. Finally, sprinkle in the smaller things like reading, learning a language, or taking a walk.
Here’s the kicker: instead of planning on a daily basis, look at your time in week-long chunks. You might work an 8-hour day all 7 days of the week, but that still leaves 56 hours free, which is much better than the usual 8 hours a day we try to fit everything meaningful in our life into. Planning by the week lets you spread your goals across those 56 hours so you aren’t as pressed for time.
This also helps you pair tasks together. Got a dentist appointment and want to read a book? Seeing them both laid out in advance allows you to know to bring the book to the waiting room so you can get something you must get done with something you want to get done. Taking public transport? Use that time to catch up on emails or listen to a podcast. The focus hour isn’t just about planning; it’s about optimizing the time you already have so you can make the most of it.
Create Dedicated Spaces
If you don’t have a dedicated space to be productive, you’re likely wasting time setting up, disassembling, and moving things around. It’s a time-sink that accumulates over the weeks and months.
Even in my micro-apartment, where I film YouTube videos, I’ve created dedicated spaces. I stuck my card reader to my desk, so I never have to waste time looking for it. I keep all my camera gear in one spot within arm’s reach. Dedicated spaces is about optimizing the efficiency you get into an activity with, to reduce the friction between getting started and getting finished.
By creating dedicated spaces, you slip into work mode quicker, and you’re far less likely to get distracted since everything is already set up.
Quick Wins: 5 Things You Can Do Now
To wrap up, here are five quick actions you can take today to start saving time:
1. Keep a running to-do list of small tasks that take 10 minutes or more. Set aside one day each week to do them all at once.
2. Automate as much as possible. Write emails in transit and schedule them, automate birthday greetings, and schedule content posts.
3. If something will take less than two minutes, do it now.
4. Meal prep—save time, money, and decision-making effort.
5. Set aside time each week to think about how you can save time on the tasks you’re already doing.
These aren’t just hacks; they’re shifts in how you approach your daily life. The outcome? You’ll start feeling more in control, more productive, and more at peace with your time. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you’ll find yourself mastering your schedule, with more time for the things that truly matter.
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