jamestorrevillas Focus & Productivity
The Developer Energy Model
Cognitive energy is finite and non-linear. Peak focus lasts 90-120 minutes max. Design your day around this, not against it.
High Energy (morning): Architecture decisions, complex bugs, new features
Medium Energy (mid-day): Code reviews, meetings, collaborative work
Low Energy (afternoon): Routine tasks, documentation, admin, emails
Deep Work Protocol
For complex tasks (coding, architecture, problem-solving):
- Block 90-120 minutes — no meetings, no Slack, phone on DND
- Single task only — close everything except what you need
- Write the task before starting: "I will [specific outcome] today"
- Start with the smallest possible first step — momentum kills inertia
Task Prioritization (Eisenhower + Developer Context)
| Urgent | Not Urgent | |
|---|---|---|
| Important | Do now (production bug, blocked teammate) | Schedule (tech debt, learning, architecture) |
| Not Important | Delegate/batch (most Slack messages) | Eliminate (unnecessary meetings) |
Daily top 3: Pick only 3 tasks that would make today a win. Do those before anything else.
Managing Interruptions
- Batch communications — check Slack/email 3x/day, not constantly
- Async by default — most things don't need an immediate reply
- Interruption log — when interrupted mid-task, write down exactly where you were before switching. Return faster.
- Visible focus signal — headphones on = in deep work, don't interrupt
Fighting Procrastination
Procrastination = avoidance of discomfort, not laziness.
Techniques:
- 2-minute rule — if it takes < 2 min, do it now
- Eat the frog — do the hardest/most dreaded task first
- Shrink it — "I'll just write the function signature" → momentum starts
- Environment design — remove distractions before they happen (content filters, app blockers)
- Body doubling — work alongside someone (physically or virtually)
Sustainable Dev Habits
- End-of-day shutdown ritual: Write tomorrow's top 3 tasks. Close everything. Done.
- Weekly review (30 min): What did I ship? What blocked me? What's next week's priority?
- Protect sleep — cognitive performance degrades more from sleep debt than almost any other factor
- Move — 20 min of physical activity improves focus for 2-4 hours afterward
- No-AI sprints — occasionally solve problems without AI to maintain and grow fundamentals
The Reset Protocol
When overwhelmed or burned out:
- Write down everything in your head (brain dump)
- Identify the ONE most important thing
- Close everything else
- Work only on that one thing for 25 minutes
- Take a 5-minute break
- Reassess