The Rhythm

The method has a shape, and the shape is a funnel. A handful of intentions at the top of the month narrow, week by week, to a single line of work each morning. Four moments hold the rhythm together.

1. 01The month

   At the start of each month, write three or four most important tasks on the monthly page — the things that, by month's end, would make the month count. The codes M1 to M4 are pre-printed. These are the month's intentions.

2. 02The week

   At the start of each week, decide which intentions you're working on. Pull them down to the weekly page — write the code in the empty bracket, [M1], followed by the specific weekly version of the goal. Add any week-only commitments as [W1], [W2]. Commit your protected hours: the blocks of time you'll defend.

3. 03The day

   Each morning, or the night before, decide the one thing. Write the code — often the same M-code that's been with you for two weeks — and the specific task. Below it, the secondary tasks that support it, plus a few additional things that need to happen.

4. 04The close

   At the end of the day, two questions. Did the one thing ship? Yes or no. What's tomorrow's one thing? Write it on the next page. Close the diary.

1. M1MonthBuild the website
2. M1WeekWrite all the copy
3. M1DayDraft the hero copy

Because the code carries down, the morning rarely starts from a blank mind. The line you write is the next piece of a decision you already made — on the first of the month, when it was easier to think clearly.

The decision is the system.