Good sleep makes everything better. It’s extremely hard to do cognitively-demanding and creative work when we’re sleep-deprived. 

• Get a monthly calendar.
• At the top of the calendar note the task or action you’re tracking. 
• Each morning after you’ve completed the task, put a big X or some kind of mark through that day.
• Try to go as many days as possible without “breaking the streak.”
• If y...

• Routines drastically reduce the amount of logistical and psychological friction in between us and our goals.
• Good routines are also powerful motivation generators. In addition to cutting down on morning friction, good routines can become sustainable sources of motivatio...

Reduce the number of decisions and tasks you have to do each morning in between waking up and doing your work:

• Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even weekends.
• Getting into bed before you’re truly sleepy is a great way to start worrying, which leads to arousal and difficulty falling asleep.
• Watch out for too much Sleep Hygiene. Don't make going to slee...

Working for extended periods with full concentration and no distractions, on a single task requires:

Don't rely on willpower. The smarter way to tackle the morning is to build routines and rituals that pull us out of bed and toward our goals.

The magnitude of the reward isn’t very important; it’s the ritual of the reward that matters. So it’s enough to do something small as long as it signifies that you’ve completed your​ task.

Psychologically, by doing all the things that go along with showering like combing your hair, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, etc., you’re communicating to your brain in no uncertain terms that it’s time to go and get started with the day.

For example, every day when you get to your desk and sit down to work, play the same song before I start any work.

In addition to hurting the quality of your sleep, snoozing is detrimental psychologically: it leads to an erosion of self-confidence and the ability to follow through on our own best intentions and goals.