The Hidden Reason Productive People Work Fewer Hours Than You

hey—

“How do you do it all?”

I get this question at least 3 times a week, usually from someone who’s seen me juggling daily content creation, weekly newsletters, digital product launches, and somehow still having time for friends and enjoying life.

The assumption is always the same: I must be working 80-hour weeks or have some superhuman ability to function on no sleep.

But here’s the thing—I’m not working dramatically more hours than I was six months ago. Yet my output has probably tripled.

The secret isn’t working more hours. It’s doing exponentially more in the same amount of time.

And the first principle behind this is so simple it sounds almost insulting to mention. But the fact is, most people simply can’t execute it:

You’ve got to ACTUALLY get work done when you work.

I know, I know. “Thanks, Captain Obvious.” But stick with me here.

The Distraction Epidemic

We live in the age of fake productivity. People sit at their desks for 8 hours and wonder why they accomplished nothing meaningful.

Here’s what’s really happening:

• Check email (again)

• Quick scroll through social media

• “Important” text conversation

• Another email check

• Coffee break that turns into a 20-minute chat

• Back to the screen, but wait—notification

• Rinse and repeat

Sound familiar?

The average knowledge worker checks email every 6 minutes. Every 6 minutes! That’s not work—that’s professional ADHD.

But I’ve cracked the code on this, and it comes down to 6 core principles that transformed everything for me.

The Deep Work Framework

1) Prioritize Your Actual Priorities

Every night, I spend about 10 minutes on what I call “Tomorrow’s Top 3.”

Not 10 tasks. Not a wishlist of things I’d like to accomplish. Three specific priorities that will actually move the needle toward my goals.

Then I do something most people skip: I schedule them.

Time blocking isn’t just helpful—it’s revolutionary. My Google Calendar looks absolutely insane to most people, but every minute is intentionally allocated.

When I wake up, I don’t waste mental energy deciding what to do. I already know. The decision was made the night before by a clearer, less tired version of myself.

2) Wake Up Early and Attack the Most Important Tasks First

I know this is a controversial take, but I’m going to say it anyway: waking up early is objectively better than being a night owl.

I’ve tried both. Extensively. And here’s what I discovered:

There’s something almost magical about working when you know everyone else is asleep. If you’re competitive at all (and let’s be honest, most ambitious people are), there’s this incredible self-motivation that comes from knowing you’re grinding while others are dreaming.

But beyond the psychological advantage, your mind is clearest in the morning. You haven’t been hijacked by other people’s priorities yet. No texts, no emails, no “urgent” requests that aren’t actually urgent.

You wake up, execute your ritual (more on this below), and get straight to your #1 priority while your brain is still fresh.

3) By Absolutely No Means Do You Check Your Phone in the Morning

Your phone is simultaneously the most powerful tool at your disposal and your #1 enemy.

Don’t check it. Get to work first. Everything else will be there waiting for you—and honestly, what are you going to do, answer texts at 5 AM? They’re asleep anyway.

The moment you check your phone, you’ve handed control of your day to everyone else. You’re no longer working from your priorities; you’re reacting to theirs.

4) Force Yourself to Get Stuff Done on a Timeline

Here’s a counterintuitive insight: procrastination can work for you if you schedule it right.

I intentionally create tight deadlines for myself. I’ll schedule important work right before a meeting or appointment, so I literally have to finish in the allotted time.

Something amazing happens when you do this: you finish things faster than you thought possible, and often at a higher quality than when you had “all the time in the world.”

Parkinson’s Law in action: work expands to fill the time available. So give it less time.

5) Create a Ritual That Signals Deep Work

Athletes have pre-game routines. Runners stretch before they run. You need a ritual that tells your brain: “It’s time to focus.”

Mine is stupidly simple but incredibly effective:

• Get my drink of choice ready (usually green tea)

• Light incense

• Put on lo-fi hip-hop beats

• Open my main project

That’s it. But just going through these motions signals to my brain that it’s focus time. Within minutes, I’m in flow state.

I got this idea from a story about a famous novelist who would light the same candle every time he sat down to write. Eventually, just the smell of that candle would trigger his creative mind to activate.

Your ritual doesn’t have to be elaborate. It just has to be consistent.

6) Batch Similar Tasks and Eliminate Context Switching

This is the secret sauce most people miss: context switching is killing your productivity.

Every time you jump from writing to email to social media to a phone call, your brain needs time to recalibrate. Studies show it takes an average of 23 minutes to fully refocus after an interruption.

So I do my best to batch everything:

• All content creation happens in one block

• All administrative tasks in another

• All deep strategic thinking in dedicated sessions

I’m not constantly switching gears, so I’m not constantly losing momentum.

The Compound Effect of Focus

Here’s what happens when you implement these principles consistently:

Week 1: You feel like you’re fighting your old habits

Week 2: You start noticing pockets of deep focus

Week 4: People start commenting on your productivity

Week 8: You realize you’re accomplishing in 4 hours what used to take you all day

Week 12: You can’t imagine working any other way

The math is simple but profound: if you eliminate just 2 hours of distraction from your day and convert it to focused work, you’ve essentially gained an extra day every week.

52 extra days per year. That’s more than 7 additional weeks of productivity—without working a single extra hour.

Your Implementation Guide

Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Start with these two changes this week:

Tonight: Spend 10 minutes identifying your 3 most important tasks for tomorrow. Schedule them in your calendar. Specific times, specific blocks.

Tomorrow morning: Before checking your phone, complete your #1 priority task. Just one. See how it feels to start your day with something meaningful accomplished.

That’s it. Master those two habits first. Once they become automatic (give it 2 weeks), add another element.

Remember: you’re not trying to become a productivity robot. You’re trying to reclaim your time so you can do more of what actually matters to you.

The goal isn’t to work more. It’s to work intentionally, so you can live more.

Time will pass anyway. The question is: what will you build with the hours you have?

Be well,

—Johnathan

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P.S.

The 10-Minute Evening Reset: The Only Tool You Need to Transform Your Productivity

This simple framework helps you turn scattered days into focused wins. In just 10 minutes each evening, you'll eliminate decision fatigue and set yourself up to accomplish what truly matters.

Download the daily template:

→10-Minute Evening Reset (PDF)

→10-Minute Evening Reset (Word Doc)

→10-Minute Evening Reset (Kortex Template)