Selective Notification Management

Shaan Puri shares his perspective on living an "unscheduled life" - a way of working that prioritizes doing what's most important in the moment rather than following a pre-set calendar. He emphasizes the importance of being effective over efficient and maintaining control over one's time and attention.

Key Points:

• Definition of Unscheduled Life:

  • Do the most important or interesting thing right now
  • Don't let calendar dictate priorities from weeks ago
  • Maintain blocks of time instead of scheduled meetings

• Notification Management:

  • Keep text notifications on
  • Turn off notifications for email, Slack, Twitter DMs
  • Focus on offense (proactive) rather than defense (reactive)

• Calendar Philosophy:

  • "Show me your calendar and I'll show you your priorities"
  • Delete recurring meetings and unnecessary commitments
  • Keep large blocks of open space for creative work

• Productivity Approach:

  • Be effective, not efficient
  • Focus on identifying the right tasks rather than doing many tasks quickly
  • Big thing is the first thing - tackle important work early

• Time Management Strategy:

  • Work in 90-minute to 2-hour sprints
  • Set one big goal for the day
  • Don't use calendar as a to-do list

• Trade-offs and Challenges:

  • Not compatible with highly scheduled people
  • May appear unresponsive or flaky to others
  • Takes time to transition (8-10 years in his case)
  • Requires privilege and career position to fully implement

• Implementation Tips:

  • Start with one clear day per week
  • Gradually expand to more unscheduled days
  • Work towards roles that allow this lifestyle
  • Be willing to accept the social costs of being less responsive