The ebb and flow of productivity is natural - make it work for you, and dont tyrannize yourself over it. On your productive days you will often have ancillary

The ebb and flow of productivity is natural - make it work for you, and dont tyrannize yourself over it. On your productive days you will often have ancillary thoughts - that document needs updating, its been a while since I read up on subject X, that server needs patching, this section of the config parser needs to be more robust, little tidy-up tasks that create more order in your workspace, these tasks are like the monks cleaning the house, they are restorative and meditative, but not cognitively burdening. Write these down in whatever method suits you. Then they are outside of your working memory. On your less productive days, pick a few that seem appealing to you, and do them. Lastly, not every moment must be productive, sometimes you actually need rest, life is about balance.