Efficient work rituals lead to predictable, high-quality results. As part of my depth rituals, I setup a clean workbench before I begin any work. The inspiration? Elite sport and master chefs!

Cal Newport’s “slow productivity” philosophy advocates for multi-scale planning at the quarterly, weekly and daily levels. While Cal recommends his excellent time-block planner, I’ve found my humble calendar to be an effective tool for this way of working.

Unpredictable days are shapeless days. This represents the classic maker-manager paradox. Makers need contiguous blocks of time to achieve meaningful outcomes. A calendar driven schedule is amongst the worst blows to a maker’s productivity. We can’t be proud of this way of working.

Aside from introducing async practices and plays on your team, you need to vote with your behaviour for an asynchronous work culture. Otherwise it’ll all feel like lip service. So in today’s post I have five ideas for you to implement as an individual, so you can broadcast how committed you are to an asynchronous way of working. Each of these is easy as they get. You can get started today itself!