Refreshing to hear this approach. Grounded in reality. As a dad, I know the value of “deep work,” but rarely find myself on that state. As a result, I procrastinate my way into inactivity. “Oh I only have 45 min.”
Any lasting positive chance can only be achieved by making it a habit. It takes hard work, pain, suffering, until you do not even think about it.
I have been working hard to improve my upside-down life for a while now, and somehow I got into the habit of waking up at 8am, faffing about until 9am on the dot, then turning on my PC and doing deep work. Phone in focus mode, no one at home, no one really visits before the afternoon. Body is rested, stimulants are kicking in, and there a whole day of possibilities ahead.
Now, even on weekends and days off, I feel dirty if I don't do productive or creative work between 9-1pm. It's become a habit like brushing my teeth. That said, my afternoons are still all about procrastination, and fixing that is a bigger challenge...
I desperatly wish my parents taught me GTD as a child, haha. I'm sure I'd not have been to enthusiastic about it as a youngin', but man, my early projects would have been so much more inmpactful and it'd have given me a great self-confidence boost to get those projects done at a young age.
Great article to break out of that cycle.