Maximizing Productivity: My Personal Setup and Strategies

Why Frictionless Design Wins Over Motivation

Ever since I began juggling full-time university studies with full-time work, I knew I had to get serious about productivity.

The topic has always fascinated me. Personally, I define productivity as output per unit of time, and I believe there are numerous tools and tactics we can use to enhance that.

Here’s my current productivity setup, including both physical tools and mental models that help me achieve more in less time. Let’s dive right in.

My Daily Schedule

At the moment, my daily schedule includes software engineering work, university study, Japanese learning, gym sessions, cooking and healthy eating, reading, writing this newsletter, and socializing.

It’s a packed schedule, but I’ve found ways to manage it effectively.

The Core of My System

Here’s how I structure my days to consistently move forward:

1. Start with one thing

2. Use deep work sprints

3. Remove friction with environmental design

4. Stack habits for leverage

5. Schedule life like classes

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The one thing rule

A really effective technique is to focus on the one thing that, if done today, would make the day successful or fulfilling.

Usually, there is such a thing, and as long as you’ve done it well, the day has been a success.

I try to identify that one thing most days and prioritize it.

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Deep work sprints

My mornings start immediately with a deep work session. I set my alarm a bit earlier than necessary, skip breakfast, and go straight into the most important task at hand — currently, that’s Japanese learning.

The first 30-40 minutes of my day are dedicated to reviewing Japanese vocabulary. Breakfast becomes a reward for completing this first sprint, which ties into habit loops (cue → action → reward).

Priming for Deep Work

To achieve the best outcome during a deep work session, I follow a priming process.

1. I use caffeine strategically, ingesting it about half an hour before starting a session to enhance concentration.

2. I prepare my environment by opening the necessary desktop windows or books

3. I am using noise-canceling earbuds if I’m in a noisy environment.

4. Setting a physical timer helps in two ways: it leverages Parkinson’s Law (work expands to fill the time available), and it forces me to focus solely on the task during that period.

Two hours of undistracted work beats eight hours of distracted effort.

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Structuring my environment

I’m a big proponent of structuring your environment in a way that helps you achieve your goals more easily and reduces friction.

I design my environment to make productivity easier.

Some examples:

• Phone setup: Instagram and other distractions are hidden from my home screen. Instead, I put Anki (language learning) or Audible front and center.

• Walking pad under my desk: I move while working, habit-stacking health with productivity.

• Contextual rules: I only allow myself to watch TV shows in Japanese. Entertainment becomes language immersion.

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Calendar as a classroom

I try to structure my free time similarly to how classes are scheduled in school or university. I allocate specific time slots for deep work sprints or other activities I want to accomplish.

Just like “Math from 10–11,” I assign 10–11 to “Gym” or “Work sprint: Complete X”

I believe that if you don’t schedule these things, life will fill them with less productive activities, like scrolling through Instagram.

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To-do lists done right

Before starting any activity, it’s crucial to know exactly what you want to work on.
I prefer to schedule precise tasks rather than vague ones.

For example:

• “Study discrete math — Chapter 3 problems 5–10.”

• “Complete feature X in codebase.”

Your brain isn’t meant for remembering tasks. It’s meant for solving them. Writing them down frees up creative energy.

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High-leverage activities

For each task, I identify the highest leverage activity and execute it during a deep work sprint. This approach can significantly accelerate progress.

Not all tasks are equal. Productivity compounds when you focus on the highest leverage task for your current stage:

• Early Japanese learning → vocabulary acquisition.

• Later Japanese learning → immersion and conversation.

• Fitness → progressive overload on key lifts, not fancy machines.

• Software projects → finishing core features, not tweaking UI endlessly.

Find your leverage, and do it first.

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Consistency > Intensity

As with everything in life, consistency is crucial.

Don’t just implement these strategies for a day or a week; do it for months or years, and you’ll achieve far more than you ever thought possible.

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The bottom line

Productivity essentially is about this:

• Focusing on the one thing that matters each day.

• Designing your environment to make the right actions easy.

• Running deep work sprints with no distractions.

• Scheduling your life before life schedules you.

• Consistently prioritizing high-leverage activities.

If you build this into your system and keep it going long enough, the compounding will surprise you.

You’ll find yourself achieving more, with less stress, less wasted time, and more life outside of work.

Because at the end of the day, I think productivity isn’t about doing more.

It’s about creating space for what matters.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time.
— Tobi

💡 Question: What are some principles that help you be more productive?