Habits compound

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The single most leveraged idea about self-improvement: small repeated actions compound, the same way money does. The tell is that it’s invisible day-to-day and obvious in retrospect.

The math

1% better every day for a year → ~37× better; 1% worse → nearly zero (James Clear, Habits):

Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. They make little difference on any given day, yet the impact over months and years is enormous.

Time-blocking & focus

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

How to actually get the important thing done. The core move: decide in advance what deserves your attention, instead of reacting to whatever’s next.

Time-blocking

Cal Newport (Productivity):

Context switching kills productivity.
Plan quarterly → weekly → daily; block the day in advance. “Don’t just do what’s next.”
Deadlines work, but time-blocking works better — a block is just “this is what I want to do now.”
The honest caveat (from the same note): constant “you’re late” reminders create anxiety, and some flexibility is valuable. The tension between structure and flex is real and unresolved — hold both.

Ferriss morning triage

Tim Ferriss (Productivity):

Productivity on Today Purpose

Habits compound

The math

Time-blocking & focus

Time-blocking

Ferriss morning triage