🔋 How to Work Less & Get More Done

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus, your value-packed weekly focus and recharge digest. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋 Feel free to peruse previous editions of The Flow right here.

For this week’s edition: What if we told you there was a way to work less hours, but get more done?

We all wish there were more hours in the day — but the next best thing is mastering how to maximize the hours you already have to work smarter, not harder.

Here’s a no-nonsense guide for squeezing the most out of your day without burning yourself out:

🔋 Step 1: Capitalize on Energy

Your energy ebbs and flows. Recognizing your energy levels throughout the day is one thing, but capitalizing on them changes the game.

Maximize your output without draining your reserves — here’s an easy strategy to follow:

💰 High Energy is for High Value Work

Focus your peak energy on what truly drives your goals, whether it's studying for your most important exam, working on key projects, or even doing big picture planning.

High quality input = high quality output

🚫 Avoid Low Value Work During Peaks

Imagine having a full tank of premium gas but spending it all on driving in circles. That's what wasting high energy on low value tasks feels like.

Low value tasks like organizing your notes, checking emails, running errands, or even vacuuming aren’t worth detracting from your momentum. Save these for your energy dips.

🧑‍💻 Act on Inspiration Right Away

Entrepreneur Naval Ravikant said it best:

“Inspiration is perishable. When you have inspiration, act on it right then and there.”

Sprint as hard as you can when energy or inspiration strikes, then rest as much as you need to.

🕐 Step 2: Find Your Peak Hours

Alright, now that you know how to recognize your energy levels and assign them, it's time to figure out how to align your work with your body's natural rhythm.

Everyone’s rhythm is different, but here’s a starter framework that works for many, and might resonate with you:

🌅 Mornings for Deep Work

Capitalize on the morning’s fresh, focused energy to tackle your deep work tasks like strategic planning, writing, or coding.

🎨 Afternoons for Shallow Work

For most people, the afternoon is the best time to tackle ‘low value’ or shallow work. Use this time for things like your routine meetings, checking emails, organizing documents, or even housework.

🌙 Evenings for Creativity

With the day's demands behind you, evenings are the perfect time to brainstorm, explore artistic endeavors, or work on personal projects you’re passionate about.

🏡 Step 3: Create an Environment for Focus

Great, you’ve figured out how to manage your energy – the final step is creating an environment that encourages focus and minimizes distractions:

🧹 Clear Your Workspace

Start with the basics: tidy up your workspace and keep only what you need for the task at hand. A clear space is a clear mind.

🔕 Turn Off Notifications

This is the one move that will probably have the most impact.

Texts, apps, and emails are all fighting for your attention and pulling you away from your flow. A 10 second glance at a text or social notification can easily mean 10 minutes to get your focus back.

Make some adjustments to your app notification settings, or put your phone on Do Not Disturb during your deep work sessions.

Tip: If you’re on an iOS device, set custom focus modes and select which apps or contacts can and can’t deliver push notifications.

🎶 Find Your Focus Music

The right soundtrack can power your focus sessions.

For writing or other concentration-heavy tasks, try lyricless music like lofi, classical, electronic, or even ambient sounds. You can even try music in another language to stay engaged without getting distracted by recognizable lyrics.

For lighter tasks like skimming emails or resizing images, play anything that motivates you.

Find what works for you and lean into it. If you notice a certain YouTube video or Spotify playlist fueled a particularly productive session, save it and keep using it!

⏲️ Get Equipped

Last but not least, whether it's a pretty Pomodoro timer, extensions that block distracting websites, or a planner template, use tools that aid your focus and keep you on track. For a starting point, you can check out some of these study websites and tools we curated.

Working less but getting more done isn’t as farfetched as it seems when you tap into your energy’s natural rhythm and build systems around it. We hope these tips help you maximize both your output and your days ⚡️

Till next Sunday,

Flocus Team

We love two-way convos. Got any energy management tips that have worked for you? Let us know by replying to this email.