Notifications aren't on to help you be more productive. They're on to get you to use that tool more. Every alert triggers a dopamine response, your brain starts to like it, and so you leave them all on because that's the default. The default is not a strategy. Why it matters: Every notification, even ignored ones, is a microdecision that contributes to decision fatigue Being reactive feels like responsiveness. It isn't. Your clients and your team feel the difference. Badges, alerts, and...

What a Design Day actually looks like... Last week, I spent three days in a dome house in the mountains of Burnsville, North Carolina, with my friend Wendy. I call this Design Days: No email, no meetings, just heads-down focus on one project. She was working on a keynote. I worked on my new book, The Right Things First: A Pocket Guide to Relentless Prioritization. It will literally fit in your pocket. It's with three beta readers right now, and I'll be launching it later this summer. More to...

Every ring, ping, buzz, and haptic triggers the involuntary part of your brain. The same part wired to respond to sirens and babies crying. Your brain hasn't figured out in 30 years that a Slack or Teams message isn't a survival threat. And even when you think you're ignoring it, you're not. You're making a micro decision Every. Single. Time. Why it matters: 150 emails and chat messages a day add up to 150 microdecisions before you've touched your actual work Decision fatigue follows you home...