The Two-Hour Rule

Your mind is freshest in the first two hours after you wake. This is when you can do your best thinking, solve complex problems, and make real progress on important work. Protect these hours. Do not fill them with email or meetings. Fill them with your most important work.

Schedule your most challenging task for the first two hours of your day. This might mean waking up earlier, or it might mean blocking those hours and saying no to other requests. Either way, protect this time.

When you do your most important work first, the rest of the day feels easier. You have already made progress on what matters. Everything else is bonus. The day feels successful before it has really begun.

Block your first two hours tomorrow for your most important work. Protect this time. Then notice how much more you accomplish when you work on what matters while your mind is fresh.