A deep work setup that actually sticks

Most focus advice fails because it asks you to make a decision every single day. The setups that last are the ones you set up once and then forget.

Start with a single protected block

Pick one ninety minute block, at the same time every weekday, and guard it like a client meeting. One block you actually keep beats four you cancel.

Remove the decision, not just the distraction

Blocking apps help. The real win, though, is deciding the night before exactly what the block is for. Ambiguity is the distraction.

Keep a little shutdown ritual

Write down where you stopped and what comes next. That way tomorrow's block starts straight away, not with ten minutes of re-reading.