The digital work environment can become toxic. The new normal involves hundreds of daily emails and notifications, our browsers have dozens of open tabs, and we can't find the files we need. To date, there is no realistic and effective solution.

We should consider how much we need ...

Productivity became popular in the early 20th century as a way of optimising work in agriculture and manufacturing. A knowledge worker in the 21st century has very little in common with agricultural or manufacturing work.

Productivity made sense as a measu...

Cal Newport states that we really only have four hours of focused work per day. It is up to you to take control of that time and your energy expenditure. Focusing deeply on something requires confidence and self-assuredness to put that piece of work first and shut everything else...

Intentional attention = focus x time

This means that if you maximise your time spent focusing, you will maximise your intentional attention. Doing that will maximise the success of your knowledge work.

Instead of optimising an unhealthy and outdated method,...

Unlike productivity, focus isn't something you can squeeze into a timeframe. It is something you nurture and protect.

Cognitive research on how our brains work shows that time is not our only limitation. Our brains have limited men...