Last update: 2025/05/10
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The trigger for writing this article was an evening when, while browsing Hacker News, I happened to read an early piece by Sam Altman on productivity. I read the article with great care.
Increasing efficiency—in any respect—has always been one of my continuing interests and efforts. I consciously explore and practice various tools and methodologies to improve work efficiency and quality of life. To some extent, I even call myself a “life hacker.” Here, “hacker” is not confined to the realm of computer technology; it also applies to the systematic optimization and refinement of everyday life.
Work or study tasks can be divided into an exploration phase and a hard-focus phase. During the exploration phase, I may schedule several different tasks in one day, hour by hour; in the hard-focus phase, I usually concentrate on only one task for several consecutive days or weeks. Every task should have a clear deadline, because time pressure is extremely effective at boosting efficiency. In the exploration phase, I arrange activities such as talking with multiple people or reading several articles to lock in the key target for the next hard-focus phase.
I spend a lot of time thinking about what to do. Once I decide, I break the task down by setting deadlines. The plan may be weekly, monthly, or even yearly. From my experience, once a deadline is set, efficiency rises; it forces me to focus and devote myself fully.
Planning tasks by the day is effective, but once they are changed to a weekly unit, efficiency drops noticeably. Therefore, no matter how long the cycle of your plan is, you must break it down to daily execution.
Although breaking tasks into daily deliverables takes time, the process is critical. It organically links long-term goals with concrete daily output, making the goals more actionable and achievable. For this reason, I invest a lot of time in this breakdown and refinement process.
I use note-taking tools to meet these needs, mainly Notion. Although I have tried other tools, Notion currently offers the greatest flexibility and satisfies most of my customization requirements.
Time is easily wasted when discussing things with others because most people do not set deadlines for a single discussion. I have found that setting a deadline is just as effective for improving discussion efficiency. Depending on the topic and participants, the time limit can be adjusted flexibly. Within the allotted time, try to cover the matters clearly; if the conversation drifts, you can stop it promptly. Since both sides agree on a time limit in advance, such interventions are more readily accepted. One small tip: define the topic before the discussion and make interim summaries during the conversation. This keeps everyone on the same page, focuses on core issues, and avoids misunderstandings.
I devote considerable time to questions such as “What do I need to do?” I have found that a suitable direction must balance short-term and long-term interests while continually building competitive barriers—this is strategic thinking. Tactical execution—how to implement specific tasks—matters, but if the direction is off, even excellent execution will not yield ideal results.
These reflections bring many benefits. Unless a task is my own choice, when I passively accept a task or face unexpected situations, the earlier thinking about principles and direction acts as a filter, removing items that do not fit the established direction. Because clear standards already exist, external matters cannot easily sway me; otherwise, I would drift with the current.
In this way, I avoid being forced to shift course after partial investment, which would waste earlier efforts and lower efficiency. My observation is that most work and study yield no quick results; they require long-term accumulation, and such accumulation is often the most meaningful. This calls for resolve, which comes from careful thought.
Of course, this approach has drawbacks: it may miss some new opportunities. In fact, those “opportunities” are often only temptations or costs. I try new things, but once I realize they diverge from the established direction, I cut my losses decisively and do not cling to them. In any given period, I usually try many new things and abandon many as well. Because this is proactive and timely loss-cutting, it does not have too negative an impact on my mindset—after all, every attempt carries a cost, some measured in money, others in time and opportunity, or even emotion.
The human brain is not suited to handling two tasks that both demand active thinking at the same time. Tasks that can run in parallel usually fall into two categories: habitual chores that can be done subconsciously, and work that requires active thought. Therefore, I refine fixed routines—such as washing up and commuting—until they are highly efficient, turning them into automated habits that require no deliberate thinking and thus take the least possible time. While completing these habitual tasks, I can focus on information that doesn’t need deep thinking but still merits attention, such as listening to audio news or podcasts. I have found that these tasks can be processed in parallel, whereas other duties that call for deep thought are not at all suitable for multitasking.
In my daily schedule, any task that demands mental effort, learning, or deep thinking—especially those requiring intense concentration—is usually set for the morning. During this period I schedule almost no meetings or communication tasks; such activities are typically placed in the afternoon, like discussions with others. Because the morning is long and seldom interrupted, it suits pure study; yet when I need inspiration or sustained ideation, the morning is actually less ideal. In my experience, my thoughts are most active when walking, showering, or waiting in line. Hence, I need a well-developed note-taking system to capture ideas that flash through my mind. If I have my phone, I use Flomo to jot down these brief notes; its paid version supports AI voice input, which works extremely well. If I do not have my phone—say, while showering—I keep a waterproof handwritten board in the bathroom so I can record ideas at any time.