Mastering Deep Work: The 90-Minute Secret to Productivity

I tend to lump things into groups of 3, or multiples of 3.

There is something magical about 3, it feels manageable without being overwhelming.

It’s small enough I can keep 3 simple concepts in my head for a bit.

A list of 3 things is small enough to know I can get it done.

I also like 90, which is 3x3 and works well for a span.

I tend to work in 90 minute busts of deep work, or at least aim for this number and then blow past it.

I feel like I can set a goal for 90 days and accomplish that as well.

It’s how I’ve arrived at the “Primed 90” system. You can call it deep work if you want, but it’s bigger than that. A software engineer might call it ‘deep work++’

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Primed 90 - Get Something Done Today

I’ve written about and experimented with how I can be effective at Deep Work many times, for many years. Some days it just flows automatically, so I thought it was easy… but then days arrive when it isn’t.

You don’t always just fall right into productive work, especially with ADHD. Even worse, some days you can’t even push yourself into productivity. It’s my life’s mission to find a way to defeat those days, with our without medication.

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Setting Yourself Up for Success

There is always some setup, you need to have a vision before you can execute on it.

• Define a goal, a project or task that you can work on for 90 minutes. (I recommend creating these 90 minute objects as you define them, not as you need to get them done.)

• Find a time when you can devote 90+ minutes to work on the task.

• Write down your task, or list of tasks and have that easily visible in front of you.

• Have a timer of some sort… on your watch, phone or what works best for you.

So far, so good. This is kind of a project management 101, you should have a thing to do, a reason to do it, and an idea of what tasks you’ll do to accomplish it. It sounds easier than it is.

With your intention before you, let it sit there, then find something that will ‘prime your brain’ for that task. You want to absorb this content for about 15 minutes, so don’t pick a 2 hour TED talk.

Example priming content:

• Watch: YouTube videos

• Listen: Podcasts, ‘Blinks’ (from Blinkist)

• Read: Books, Blogs, Social Media

The key is, 15 minutes (3 x 5 minutes!) and something that is clearly applicable to your task. Maybe it’s a podcast with a writer, maybe it’s social media or posts by people you admire or want to emulate. Just have some bite sized chunk of priming content.

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Dig In and Do the Work

Now you’re set to start. The flow looks like this:

• Set a timer for 15 minutes - start priming.

• Timer goes off, set a new timer for 90 minutes.

• Start working on your thing.

• Timer goes off, ignore it and keep working, or stop and take some notes on what you’ve got done… maybe define your next ‘90 minute object’ for future work times.

The “Hemingway Bridge” is my secret to future success. I either leave something specifically unfinished, or I write out clear next steps when I’m done so that when I’m ready to start again, I’m already primed to get primed! (Sometimes you don’t even need the priming mentioned above.)

This method works great for me, proven regularly over and over. The whole setup is shortened and streamlined for this post. Why? Because different days and different brains have different needs.

There is a ton of nuance, I’m actively writing about it and will continue to do so. If you have thoughts, especially examples of why this won’t work for you… leave a comment!