Attention is easier to protect than to repair. Build systems that stop noise at the gate so your focus never needs to fight.
What this rule means
- You redesign defaults so distractions cannot arrive by default.
- You add friction to low value inputs and remove friction from high value work.
- You prevent, not react.
Why prevention beats willpower
- Fewer cues means fewer urges to check.
- Stable focus windows increase output quality per hour.
- Consistency compounds. Protected hours stack into momentum.
Set your filters first
Devices
- Create a Focus profile with only essential apps allowed.
- Delete or sign out of feeds. No social, news, or stores on the home screen.
- Turn off badges and banners. Keep calls and VIP texts only.
- Block sites during work blocks with a timer based blocker.
Inboxes
- Check messages at 11:30 and 16:30 only. Close them outside those windows.
- Use a VIP whitelist for people who can break through.
- Convert newsletters to a daily or weekly digest. Auto archive the rest.
- Write quick rules that file or mute recurring low value threads.
Space
- One task on the desk. Everything else out of sight.
- Headphones ready. A single playlist without lyrics if you use music.
- A visible cue that you are in focus mode. Door sign or status light.
Time
- Protect one or two 90 minute deep work blocks each day.
- Batch admin in one 30 to 60 minute window.
- Schedule thinking time so planning does not invade execution.
A pre work checklist
- Open the single document or repo you will work on.
- Start a Focus profile and site blocker for 90 minutes.
- Put the phone in another room or a box with a lid.
- Place a notepad nearby to park any stray ideas.
Social coordination
- Share your focus hours with your team. Ask them to expect slower replies then.
- Offer one escalation path for true urgent issues. One channel only.
- Use short templates: “In focus 09:30 to 11:00. I will reply after.”
Replace, do not only remove
- Replace idle scroll with a 3 item micro task list.
- Replace random browsing with an “Ideas” note you capture and review later.
- Replace late night screen time with a book placed on your pillow at breakfast.
Tripwires that help
- Grayscale the phone to reduce novelty seeking.
- Require a long password for entertainment logins during work hours.
- Keep a hardware key for non essential logins in a drawer across the room.
Metrics that matter
- Protected blocks completed this week.
- Unplanned app opens during a block. Aim for zero.
- Response latency during focus hours. Aim for 60 to 120 minutes.
- Daily screen time on non work apps. Trend down.
Common leaks and quick fixes
- “I just checked for one thing” turns to 20 minutes. Fix: use search, not feeds.
- Group chats spike. Fix: mute by default, unmute during admin time.
- Meetings expand. Fix: block meeting free mornings twice a week.
A 7 day attention sprint
- Day 1: Build your Focus profile. Remove badges.
- Day 2: Install a blocker and set two check windows.
- Day 3: Clean the desk. Prepare headphones and door sign.
- Day 4: Create VIP lists and a single escalation channel.
- Day 5: Write response templates and share your hours.
- Day 6: Grayscale phone and move it out of reach during blocks.
- Day 7: Review data. Remove one more low value input.
If you slip
- Do a 60 second postmortem. What cue, what urge, what patch.
- Add one more layer of friction before the next block.
Commitment statement
“I guard my inputs, I choose when I am reachable, and I keep my best hours quiet so my best work can happen.”
