Building with AI
Start-up 101
Building Products People Actually Want
Typical Founder Problems
How to manage your day?
Your calendar controls what happens, but your biology determines how well it happens. Scheduling by availability rather than capability creates problems. You might schedule important work when your brain isn't ready or waste your peak focus on trivial tasks. Unlike money or talent you can acquire, energy has limits. Ignoring these limits makes you vulnerable to burnout, poor decisions, and startup failure. When you align energy with time, you create sustainable daily routines. Here's how.
A workable day starts with a structure
Studies show that good time management makes your work better, makes you happier, and reduces stress. Among many ways to manage your time, timeboxing is rated as the #1 productivity method by Harvard Business Review. It gives you a simple way to structure your day.
Timeboxing works like this: you decide how long you'll work on something before you start. Then you focus only on that task until time's up. After that, you stop—even if you haven't finished. This helps you avoid making lots of small decisions that tire out your brain.
Here's how it works:
- Pick one task
- Set a timer (e.g. 25, 50 or 90 minutes)
- Work only on that task
- Stop when time's up
- Write down the next step
- Take a short break (under 10 minutes)
Scientists have debated the best timeboxing length for years. One analysis by DeskTime found their most productive users naturally work in cycles: 52 minutes of focus time followed by 17-minute breaks. No one told them to do this - it's just how our brains work best.
Last but not least, remember to take breaks between your work blocks! Research shows these breaks help you stay energetic and focused all day long. They prevent you from getting tired rather than trying to fix exhaustion after it happens. So don't skip your five-minute breaks!
Place your best work when your brain is ready
With a good structure in place, put your most important work when your brain works best. Your brain doesn't work the same way all day long. If you've heard about morning people and night owls, this is a great start. But forget this simple division - studies show that 70% of people fall somewhere in the middle. The difference between working at your best versus worst time is 15-34%. This can mean making a clear decision or a confusing one.
Find your peak time during the day. Spend the next two weeks tracking yourself. Write down when hard work feels easier to start and finish. Don't guess—actually measure it. Early birds usually work best about 6.7 hours after waking up; night owls work best about 12.6 hours after waking up.
Once you find your best time, save one protected work block for then. No meetings, no quick questions, no exceptions. The synchrony effect shows that you think better when you match tasks to your best time of day—your natural time preference. Think of 90-120 minutes as your personal time range, not a universal rule. If you can only focus well for 75 minutes, that's fine. What matters is matching your work time to how long you can actually focus.
- focus for 25 minutes
- take a 5-minute break
- after 4 rounds, take a longer break.
This beginner-friendly method helps you manage your time better. Use 25-minute blocks for simple tasks. For deep work that needs more attention, try longer blocks (60-90 minutes).
Build sustainability into your daily structure
Now you need to put must-do activities on your calendar. These activities create the boundaries of your timeboxed day.
Sleep comes first.
The UK Biobank Study with 479 420 participants found 7 hours of sleep helps your brain work best. If you sleep less, you lose the skills founders need most: planning, solving problems, and thinking clearly.
Pick a time to wake up every day. Count backwards 7.5 - 8.5 hours and set that as your bedtime. Add a 30-45-minute quiet time before bed.
Exercise is the second key habit.
It won't replace sleep, but it helps your brain work better. One study found that just 10 minutes of bike riding improved thinking by 14%. When you need to think clearly before important work, take a quick 10-20 minute walk. This improves memory and brain power for about an hour. For lasting benefits, schedule three 30-45 minute workout sessions each week at the same times. Doing it regularly matters more than how hard you exercise.
Family and friends time creates the third boundary.
This anchors you in reality beyond work and helps prevent burnout and isolation. Make time for your loved ones.
The small details that keep your system working
Guard your focus against interruptions. When people have unlimited access to you, they may finish tasks quicker, but you pay with higher stress, frustration, and time pressure. Research confirms this, even when speed increases. Schedule email, Slack, and calls in two short windows outside your peak hours. Keep your peak time off-limits. Put your phone out of sight—studies show that just having your smartphone nearby reduces your brain power.
Task switching costs more than you think. Changing tasks isn't free—research shows consistent switching costs and a delay before you can resume work. A simple fix is writing an if-then cue beforehand: "If it's 11:55, I'll write one line to close this task, then open my next agenda item."
Remember to take short breaks. Research shows that breaks under 10 minutes between tasks help maintain energy and improve performance throughout the day. Stand up, look outside, stretch, take five deep breaths, or get water—then return to a written next step. Avoid long, aimless breaks that become new tasks and erode your focus.
How All The Pieces Work Together
All these parts work together as a complete system. Timeboxing gives your day structure. Knowing when you work best helps you schedule important tasks at the right time. Good sleep and other healthy habits keep the system working long-term. Short breaks, movement, and simple if-then plans prevent the small problems that often ruin productivity.
This approach has some limits: there's no single "perfect" work period length for everyone, and exercise can't replace good sleep. But it works well because each part solves a specific problem - whether it's losing focus, working at the wrong time, running out of energy, or letting your schedule fall apart.
Try this system for one week. Then adjust only what really matters: when you schedule your protected work time, how long you can actually focus effectively, and whether you're actually sticking to the boundaries you set for yourself.
Tools that can help you manage your day
Rize.io
Morgen
Your calendar controls what happens, but your biology determines how well it happens. Scheduling by availability rather than capability creates problems. You might schedule important work when your brain isn't ready or waste your peak focus on trivial tasks. Unlike money or talent you can acquire, energy has limits. Ignoring these limits makes you vulnerable to burnout, poor decisions, and startup failure. When you align energy with time, you create sustainable daily routines. Here's how.
A workable day starts with a structure
Studies show that good time management makes your work better, makes you happier, and reduces stress. Among many ways to manage your time, timeboxing is rated as the #1 productivity method by Harvard Business Review. It gives you a simple way to structure your day.
Timeboxing works like this: you decide how long you'll work on something before you start. Then you focus only on that task until time's up. After that, you stop—even if you haven't finished. This helps you avoid making lots of small decisions that tire out your brain.
Here's how it works:
- Pick one task
- Set a timer (e.g. 25, 50 or 90 minutes)
- Work only on that task
- Stop when time's up
- Write down the next step
- Take a short break (under 10 minutes)
Scientists have debated the best timeboxing length for years. One analysis by DeskTime found their most productive users naturally work in cycles: 52 minutes of focus time followed by 17-minute breaks. No one told them to do this - it's just how our brains work best.
Last but not least, remember to take breaks between your work blocks! Research shows these breaks help you stay energetic and focused all day long. They prevent you from getting tired rather than trying to fix exhaustion after it happens. So don't skip your five-minute breaks!
Place your best work when your brain is ready
With a good structure in place, put your most important work when your brain works best. Your brain doesn't work the same way all day long. If you've heard about morning people and night owls, this is a great start. But forget this simple division - studies show that 70% of people fall somewhere in the middle. The difference between working at your best versus worst time is 15-34%. This can mean making a clear decision or a confusing one.
Find your peak time during the day. Spend the next two weeks tracking yourself. Write down when hard work feels easier to start and finish. Don't guess—actually measure it. Early birds usually work best about 6.7 hours after waking up; night owls work best about 12.6 hours after waking up.
Once you find your best time, save one protected work block for then. No meetings, no quick questions, no exceptions. The synchrony effect shows that you think better when you match tasks to your best time of day—your natural time preference. Think of 90-120 minutes as your personal time range, not a universal rule. If you can only focus well for 75 minutes, that's fine. What matters is matching your work time to how long you can actually focus.
- focus for 25 minutes
- take a 5-minute break
- after 4 rounds, take a longer break.
This beginner-friendly method helps you manage your time better. Use 25-minute blocks for simple tasks. For deep work that needs more attention, try longer blocks (60-90 minutes).
Build sustainability into your daily structure
Now you need to put must-do activities on your calendar. These activities create the boundaries of your timeboxed day.
Sleep comes first.
The UK Biobank Study with 479 420 participants found 7 hours of sleep helps your brain work best. If you sleep less, you lose the skills founders need most: planning, solving problems, and thinking clearly.
Pick a time to wake up every day. Count backwards 7.5 - 8.5 hours and set that as your bedtime. Add a 30-45-minute quiet time before bed.
Exercise is the second key habit.
It won't replace sleep, but it helps your brain work better. One study found that just 10 minutes of bike riding improved thinking by 14%. When you need to think clearly before important work, take a quick 10-20 minute walk. This improves memory and brain power for about an hour. For lasting benefits, schedule three 30-45 minute workout sessions each week at the same times. Doing it regularly matters more than how hard you exercise.
Family and friends time creates the third boundary.
This anchors you in reality beyond work and helps prevent burnout and isolation. Make time for your loved ones.
The small details that keep your system working
Guard your focus against interruptions. When people have unlimited access to you, they may finish tasks quicker, but you pay with higher stress, frustration, and time pressure. Research confirms this, even when speed increases. Schedule email, Slack, and calls in two short windows outside your peak hours. Keep your peak time off-limits. Put your phone out of sight—studies show that just having your smartphone nearby reduces your brain power.
Task switching costs more than you think. Changing tasks isn't free—research shows consistent switching costs and a delay before you can resume work. A simple fix is writing an if-then cue beforehand: "If it's 11:55, I'll write one line to close this task, then open my next agenda item."
Remember to take short breaks. Research shows that breaks under 10 minutes between tasks help maintain energy and improve performance throughout the day. Stand up, look outside, stretch, take five deep breaths, or get water—then return to a written next step. Avoid long, aimless breaks that become new tasks and erode your focus.
How All The Pieces Work Together
All these parts work together as a complete system. Timeboxing gives your day structure. Knowing when you work best helps you schedule important tasks at the right time. Good sleep and other healthy habits keep the system working long-term. Short breaks, movement, and simple if-then plans prevent the small problems that often ruin productivity.
This approach has some limits: there's no single "perfect" work period length for everyone, and exercise can't replace good sleep. But it works well because each part solves a specific problem - whether it's losing focus, working at the wrong time, running out of energy, or letting your schedule fall apart.
Try this system for one week. Then adjust only what really matters: when you schedule your protected work time, how long you can actually focus effectively, and whether you're actually sticking to the boundaries you set for yourself.
Tools that can help you manage your day
Rize.io
Morgen
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