For several years, I have kept two to-do lists for work (that’s how much I love them—one just wasn’t enough). One of my lists contains tasks that require deep, focused work and demand a decent chunk ...

Before I started my own company, I worked as a software developer for a New York media company. I had a colleague—let’s call him Neil—who was a brilliant designer. But he was also a perfectionist.

When you think of time management, two objects instantly come to mind: your watch, and your elaborately protracted to-do list. But how often have you actually completed the items on your to-do list?

There are so many productivity techniques out there and a lot of them can feel pretty intense. They might involve turning your to-dos into data, creating elaborate matrixes to prioritize your tasks, ...