Also want to say a bit about what made it possible to get something out the door like this, despite:

- the terror of a layoff at the dawn of a recession
- the ongoing psychological grind of this pandemic and our failing institutions

Super lucky to have had some stuff in place https://twitter.com/_danilo/status/1253355256190304257">https://twitter.com/_danilo/s...
First, let& #39;s be real: circumstances matter.

Everyone has a different situation right now. "Productive" is not something you owe anyone, even yourself, and if you have kids or other people you& #39;re responsible for, I can& #39;t imagine what that would do for your ability to focus.
My circumstances limit my immediate responsibility to others, and everything else I& #39;m going to explain here should be understood in that light.

No shaming people for not getting things done during the pandemic—not even yourself. Copy?
#1:

Regular sleep.

I go to bed at the same time every night. I take some time before bed to wind down, read, and otherwise communicate to my systems it& #39;s time to prepare for shut-eye.

I wake up at the same time each morning, have a light breakfast.
This one piece of regularity, by itself, has saved my sanity more than anything else. I& #39;ve long struggled with insomnia, and with the fucking world burning down on multiple levels, I should be losing HELLA sleep.

Largely, I& #39;m not, because this one routine keeps things regular.
#2:

As a night owl, I& #39;ve always been resistant to this sort of regularity. I like staying up late! I get a lot creatively from that.

So the same time each week, I give myself one night to start up late, one morning to sleep in.
If NOTHING ELSE I tell you sounds right for you, consider this sleep advice.

I& #39;ve never had this at any other point in my life and the difference for my focus and ability to meet my goals is night and fucking day. No kidding around.
#3:

Use an automated system to track your household tasks. I use the iOS reminders app. Use what you want.

Feed the cat, take the trash to the curb, change the litter—whatever regular responsibilities you have, don& #39;t make your brain to do the heavy lifting to remind you.
Especially now that we have our schedules distorted by social distancing, having a computer keep track of time and tasks helps me stay on top of things.

When I know I& #39;m on top of keeping my environment in order, it feels like I& #39;m otherwise handling my life okay. Good for morale
#4

Every Sunday, I cook a solid breakfast.

You know all those memes going around where people don& #39;t know what day it is?

lol, but also, real talk: I mostly can& #39;t relate.

Because my Sunday breakfast ritual creates a regular reference point in the week. Thank GOD.
Similarly, grocery shopping happens on the same day and same time. Part of this is practical: I sorted out when the store gets restocked and is light on traffic.

But also, again, reference point. My week has a tiny bit of a shape.
#5

Lunch is at the same time each day.

Dinner is at the same time each day.

Along with sleep, this creates ENORMOUS regularity for my biology, as long as I& #39;m not stupid about what I eat.
For example, yesterday I had a potato carb bomb with lunch. It was delicious.

But in terms of focus, this was not helpful for me, regardless of my timing https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Face with tears of joy" aria-label="Emoji: Face with tears of joy">
That& #39;s it. That& #39;s what I& #39;ve got.

That structure has completely saved my ass while the world goes to hell. Without it, I would not have been able to muster the consistency, the focus or the motivation to get an entire product cycle done over five weeks.
I& #39;m not a doctor or a psychologist, nor do I play one on TV, so I can& #39;t guarantee any of the above for your situation.

But what I can tell you—having spent my childhood and a decent amount of adulthood in chaos—is that creating structure has been a lifesaver for me right now.
So I hope that helps.

Also important to note that I couldn& #39;t have figured any of this out without the wisdom of @anthrocypher, who is largely much better than I am at creating stable systems for humans. I owe an enormous debt there for my ability to function right now.
You can follow @_danilo.
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