About five years ago, I realized that my day not only can be broken up into several periods with differing levels of focus, but I should structure my activities

About five years ago, I realized that my day not only can be broken up into several periods with differing levels of focus, but I should structure my activities to match that focus. So, low-value tasks, quick tasks, and tasks that don't require much thinking take place in the early morning and early afternoon. Planning takes place in the shower or during daily walks. Writing and other activities requiring deep concentration usually takes place in the late afternoon or at night. I also learned to take advantage of situations that I once considered a waste of time to be used for the higher-focus tasks. I actually appreciate being forced to sit in a subway or airplane seat for 30 minutes or 3 hours with limited Internet access, as I can really get stuff done on the laptop. I also deleted Facebook and Twitter from my phone, and set up browser blockers on my laptop for known time-wasters.