In high school, my free time was spent on making art, contributing to a magazine, writing, freelancing, designing, and sporadically working for startups. I largely considered these activities as passion projects—undertakings that had no immediate impact on my personal well-being or then-nonexistent career.
Now, years later, I continue to engage in these endeavors but with a more strategic approach to how and where I invest my time. This change has sometimes resulted in a productivity loop, trapping me in cycles of high output followed by burnout and periods of decision paralysis as I contemplate the next set of tasks.
Here's what I've learned: Our brains are single-threaded processors pretending to multitask.
Ever tried coding while watching sports? Reading while listening to a podcast? You're not actually doing both – you're rapidly switching between them, paying a cognitive tax each time.
For programmers, this is painfully obvious. Switching between codebases means dumping one project's entire mental model – variables, logic flows, architectural decisions – then loading another. It's exhausting. Research backs this up: task-switching can burn up to 40% of your productivity.
Without proper planning, you might find yourself aimlessly juggling tasks, leading to burnout or decision paralysis—a state where you waste time trying to decide your next move, ultimately accomplishing nothing.
The simple solution
When I know what needs doing, I follow this almost religious ritual:
- Make a list – and close the door. No additions allowed.
- Prioritize ruthlessly – then lock it in. No second-guessing.
- Kill distractions – phone face-down, notifications off, world on mute.
- Execute sequentially – one task, full focus, then the next.
- Take a real break – not a "quick scroll through Twitter" break.
I scale this approach from two-hour sprints to week-long projects. It's not revolutionary, but it works.
But, not all time should be structured.
When I know the direction I want to pursue and the work that needs to be done, I adopt an approach similar to the one described above to efficiently complete the tasks at hand. Conversely, unstructured time is when I follow my instincts and let spontaneity dictate how I spend my time–this is time for creativity and unwinding.
On most days, I have a clear idea of what needs to be accomplished, so a part of my day is invariably spent in a structured manner. When striving toward a goal, I've found that organizing my time yields the best results.
Whenever possible, I try to allocate more time to unstructured activities—typically during evenings, nights, and sometimes entire days. A significant portion of both my work and leisure activities involves creativity, and I've discovered that this approach suits me best. Creative journeys often benefit from the freedom of exploration, allowing thoughts and ideas to unfurl naturally, without expectation.
These two approaches to time management are synergistic in maintaining my energy and focus. Unstructured time naturally informs what I tackle during structured periods, and vice versa.
It's a rhythm, and like most aspects of life, achieving a healthy balance is the way to go.