The single best productivity hack: Planning the next day at the end...
Dickie Bush@dickiebush
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Jul 23, 2026
~1 min read
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The single best productivity hack:
Planning the next day at the end of your work day.
Here’s how I do it.
First, I make 3 lists:
1. Daily gameplan → this is an ordered list of everything I have on the calendar for the day ahead. This lets me check things off as they happen throughout the day. Constant dopamine just for showing up.
2. ONE big thing → this is the most important piece of deep work I have for the next day. It cannot be more than one thing, which forces me to focus. This is the last thing I look at before bed, priming my subconscious to work on it overnight.
3. Open loops & 1-off tasks → everything else on my mind goes on the list so I can relax at the end of the day. Random errands, people to call, items to follow-up on, and anything else that would otherwise swirl around my head unfinished.
I put all three of these lists on the same page, and fully operate from there throughout the day.
And most importantly, I do this at the end of the WORK DAY, not the complete end of the day right before bed. This lets me ride the context of the day into my planning session when everything is fresh, plus it lets me relax & be fully present at night, knowing everything I need to do tomorrow is there waiting for me.
Then, I wake up, cram a double espresso, and get to work on my one big thing.
Repeat every day, forever.
Planning the next day at the end of your work day.
Here’s how I do it.
First, I make 3 lists:
1. Daily gameplan → this is an ordered list of everything I have on the calendar for the day ahead. This lets me check things off as they happen throughout the day. Constant dopamine just for showing up.
2. ONE big thing → this is the most important piece of deep work I have for the next day. It cannot be more than one thing, which forces me to focus. This is the last thing I look at before bed, priming my subconscious to work on it overnight.
3. Open loops & 1-off tasks → everything else on my mind goes on the list so I can relax at the end of the day. Random errands, people to call, items to follow-up on, and anything else that would otherwise swirl around my head unfinished.
I put all three of these lists on the same page, and fully operate from there throughout the day.
And most importantly, I do this at the end of the WORK DAY, not the complete end of the day right before bed. This lets me ride the context of the day into my planning session when everything is fresh, plus it lets me relax & be fully present at night, knowing everything I need to do tomorrow is there waiting for me.
Then, I wake up, cram a double espresso, and get to work on my one big thing.
Repeat every day, forever.