“Figure out what your primary focus is and make progress on that every day, first thing in the morning, no exceptions,” Nabeel Qureshi writes (while hat tapping Tyler Cowen). “Days with 0 output are the killers.”
This was the gentle reminder I needed, and I shared it in case it might help you. 0.1 output is a world apart from 0 output. Even waking up just 15 minutes earlier can make all of the difference.
You also need to identify the primary focus, and make sure you do that before any of the other stuff.
For example, if I’m working on a book and I’m in the writing stage, that’s the primary focus. While it might involve more research and interviews, as well as reaching out to my mailing list for beta readers, and documenting the process on social media, none of those activities really matter if I don’t end up putting the book out.
In my mind, writing, editing, and completing the book by the deadline is the real work—which is why I make it the primary focus. The other activities—the aforementioned research, social, etc.— rbit it. They come after the real work and the rest of my personal and professional commitments.