Dearest Time Dorks,

It’s been a while. We missed you.

True, we haven’t been sending much email. But we have been busy with Time Dorks around the world — helping them make time for the work that matters with our Make Time at Work program.

This work is super energizing, and it’s given us new enthusiasm for Time Dorks, so…. WEEEEEE’RE BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

And we’ve got three things to share with you:

1. A new Time Dorks format, which you can see below
2. A new weekly cadence, which you’ll see each and every Monday in your inbox
3. A new emcee, our trusted teammate Connor Swenson!

Each week, Connor will share a tactic, a technology or tool, and a quote we love.

We’re super excited for the new Time Dorks newsletter. Hit reply and send us a note with your thoughts, we'd love to hear from you.

Until next time,
— JZ

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🏃‍♂️Something to Try

When I teach Make Time to someone new, I often start with Stack Rank Your Life. It’s tactic #3 in the book, and a simple way to take stock of your priorities in life. Not forever, because priorities can change as quickly as the leaderboard in a sausage race — but just for now.

It might sound too simple, but it’s actually really effective. Once you’re clear with yourself about what matters most, you can align your Highlights, your schedule, your devices, and your energy with your priorities.

Here’s how it works:

First, make a list of the big things that matter in your life — and not just at work. The list could include “Family” or “Friends” or “Parenting”, your significant other’s name (or, “Dating”), and the hobbies most important to you (”Basketball” or “Model Trains”). Other categories to consider are health, finances, and personal growth.

Keep your list short. At most, you should narrow the list to the 10 most important things in your life.

Then, choose the #1 most important thing to you. Not what’s most urgent, but what’s most meaningful to you right now. This may be difficult, but remember — your list isn’t set in stone. You can stack rank your life again next month, next week, or even in the next hour or so.

Next, choose the second, third, fourth, and fifth most important things on your list. Again, don’t sweat it too much. Your list isn’t set in stone, so try and trust your gut.

Then, rewrite the list in order of priority.

Finally, draw a big circle around your #1 most important thing.

You’ve now got a list to keep you focused on what’s most important, and to break ties between two activities when you’re not sure how to spend your effort.

The next time you choose a daily Highlight, try picking something from the top of your list. Whenever you're feeling a conflict between competing priorities in your life, revisit your list. And when you Design Your Day (#13), you guessed it: check your list!

🤖 Tech & Tools

It’s super simple, but I’ve been loving the new Focus modes on my iPhone. I used to only use Airplane Mode during the workday while I didn’t want distractions, then Sleep Mode at night so my phone didn’t wake me up.

But I recently found a great feature that allows you to activate certain Focus modes based on time, location, or app.

I’m using the app-based automation to turn on “Mindfulness Focus” when I open up my meditation app in the morning. It’s a small feature, but it means my phone will automatically be notification-free during those important mindful moments.

​Here’s how to automate Focus modes on iPhone.​

📚 Timely Quotes

“Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.”

— Cal Newport, Deep Work​

Thanks for reading, see you next week!

Connor
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