My main 2: * Start with the low-hanging fruit. I learned this from my old job moving furniture: some days I simply didn't have the energy to step up into the

My main 2: * Start with the low-hanging fruit. I learned this from my old job moving furniture: some days I simply didn't have the energy to step up into the truck or climb stairs (maybe I had worked overtime the day before, etc). Just grab a box or anything at all, and walk as far as you can to the house or up to the truck you have to unload. Too often we focus on loading up both arms and tucking something under our armpit to maximize our efficiency, when doing 3 small tasks can be done stress-free individually but lead to the same result. * Let your subconscious do the work. To stay in zen, it's as much about building the practices and habits that let you work as it is about doing the tasks themselves. Try loading a problem into your mind and then taking a break or sleeping on it without solving it (I almost always preload a problem this way before bed). Most of the time, my brain solves the problem for me and in a better way than if I had tackled it the "hands on" way. I'd say the majority of my work is subconscious now, so I effectively have a partial I've spun up to assist me - similar to pair programming but my partner is the universe.