Work with your brain, not against it

Most productivity advice was written for someone else's brain. I've gotten much further by noticing how mine works and building around it, instead of forcing myself into someone else's routine.

Notice how you work

For one week, jot down what you notice. When do you have energy? Do you start better with a deadline or with quiet time? Do lists calm you down or stress you out? Do you think better on paper or on a screen? There are no right answers, only yours.

Accommodate yourself, without guilt

Here's mine. I live with several chronic illnesses, and controlling my environment is the biggest thing I do for my productivity. I work almost completely from home, which I know I'm lucky to be able to do. I get sick less, my stress stays lower, and I talk to my team by phone and video. When a meeting really needs me in the room, I travel for it. That setup isn't a perk. It's how I do my best work.

Yours will look different. A few ideas:

• Work from home on the days you need deep focus, if you can.
• Move your schedule to match your energy, even if that means gardening at dusk.
• Use paper if apps never stick, or apps if paper gets lost.
• Break work into 15-minute pieces.
• Work next to someone, even on a video call, if company helps you start. Some people call this body doubling.

Ask for what you need

Flexible hours, written instructions instead of verbal ones, or a quiet place to work are reasonable requests. You're not asking to do less. You're asking for a setup where you can do your best work.

Let tools do the remembering

Spreadsheets that calculate, reminders on your calendar, lists that say what's next. Every date I don't have to hold in my head is room to think about something else.

Generic advice is a starting point

Try it, keep what fits and drop the rest. That's the experiment mindset again: you succeed or you grow.