Writing
Deadlines, capacity, and the arithmetic your to-do list refuses to do.
Mostly about the problem rather than the product. Every post has a worked example with real numbers in it, and none of them needs otoodo to be useful. If you would rather see the sum than read about it, the calculator is on the front page.
Latest
Deep work hours per day10 min read
Four hours of deep work a day is enough. Plan for that
Plan around four deep work hours a day, not eight. See the arithmetic, the shortfall, and why the four-hour week survives while the eight-hour one fails.
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How to manage multiple projects10 min read
How to manage multiple projects by splitting each day
How to manage multiple projects when one overruns: split the day by hours left, not the week. See the arithmetic, the shortfall, and the fix.
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Weekly review10 min read
A weekly review that ends with a number
Run a weekly review in 15 minutes: check the next 10 days, total the hours, and see whether your week fits before you commit.
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To-do list with time estimates9 min read
Put time estimates on every task and your list starts telling the truth
A to-do list with time estimates shows what fits, what slips, and when a deadline is already short by hours, not guesswork.
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Capacity planning for freelancers10 min read
Capacity planning for freelancers: the four numbers that matter
Capacity planning for freelancers gets simple when you track four numbers: focused hours, recurring hours, booked work, and the crossing date.
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Getting things done method5 min read
GTD Tells You What Is Next. It Never Promised to Tell You What Is Late
Explore the limitations of the Getting Things Done method and how otoodo can help you know when deadlines are impossible.
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How to say no to more work4 min read
Saying No to More Work is Easier with a Number in Your Hand
Learn how to say no to more work effectively with clear numbers. Use otoodo's deadline-aware planning to assert your limits.
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Pomodoro technique5 min read
Pomodoro Measures Effort. Deadlines Are Measured in Finished Hours
Learn how the Pomodoro technique can enhance focus, but understand its limitations in meeting deadlines. Discover how otoodo helps manage your workload.
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Realistic deadlines4 min read
How to Set a Deadline You Will Actually Hit
Learn how to set realistic deadlines by working backwards from your available hours, not just the calendar date.
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How to organise a to-do list5 min read
Organise Your To-Do List by Date and Hours, and Most of the Sorting Disappears
Learn how to organise a to-do list effectively by focusing on due dates and time estimates, reducing clutter and confusion.
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1-3-5 rule5 min read
The 1-3-5 Rule Works Until Your One Big Thing Takes Three Days
Learn how to effectively apply the 1-3-5 rule in task planning, especially when faced with larger tasks. Discover how otoodo can help.
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Task planner for small teams4 min read
Planning a Small Team's Tasks Without Asking Them to Update Anything
Learn how to effectively plan tasks for a small team without requiring constant updates from team members. Discover the benefits of a task planner for small teams.
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How to catch up when you are behind at work5 min read
How to Catch Up When You Are Behind: Stop Adding Hours, Start Removing Dates
Learn how to catch up at work by assessing your shortfall in hours and adjusting deadlines or scope. Discover effective strategies to regain control.
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Eat the frog productivity4 min read
Eat the Frog is Good Advice for One Task and No Help with Twelve
Learn how to prioritise your tasks effectively. Discover why 'eating the frog' isn't enough when juggling multiple deadlines.
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Workload planning template4 min read
A Workload Planning Template You Can Build in Ten Minutes
Learn how to create a simple workload planning template in just ten minutes. Understand columns, formulas, and the limits of this approach.
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How to stop overcommitting4 min read
You Overcommit Because Yes is Free on the Day You Say It
Learn how to stop overcommitting by checking your available hours before saying yes to new tasks and deadlines.
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How to plan your week4 min read
How to Plan Your Week in Twenty Minutes on Monday Morning
Learn how to plan your week efficiently in just twenty minutes with this five-step guide. Maximise productivity and meet your deadlines.
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Eisenhower matrix5 min read
The Eisenhower Matrix Sorts Your Work. It Does Not Tell You If It Fits.
Understand the Eisenhower Matrix and discover how otoodo can help you determine if your workload is feasible within deadlines.
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Too much work not enough time5 min read
Too much work and not enough time is a number. Find it first
Learn how to calculate the hours you need for upcoming tasks and identify gaps in your schedule with otoodo's deadline-aware planning.
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Daily planner app4 min read
A daily planner is only useful if it knows what tomorrow already owes
Discover how a daily planner app can prevent planning failures by understanding your workload across the week.
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Best to-do list app for freelancers4 min read
What a Freelancer Actually Needs from a To-Do List App
Explore the essential features freelancers need in a to-do list app, including estimates, capacity tracking, deadline warnings, and data export.
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Time blocking vs to-do list5 min read
Time Blocking vs To-Do List: Why Both Fail in Opposite Directions
Explore the limitations of time blocking and to-do lists, and discover a balanced approach to managing your tasks effectively.
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How to estimate how long a task will take5 min read
How to Estimate a Task When You Have No Idea How Long It Will Take
Discover practical techniques for estimating task duration when you're unsure. Learn to compare, split, and pad your estimates effectively.
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Why to-do lists don't work5 min read
To-do lists fail for one reason: they have no idea how long anything takes
Discover why to-do lists don't work and how estimates can transform your planning, ensuring deadlines are met without overwhelm.
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How many hours can you actually work in a week4 min read
You Have About 25 Focused Hours a Week, Not 40
Discover how to accurately assess your weekly work hours by subtracting meetings and commitments. Learn how many hours you can actually work.
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How to prioritise tasks when everything is urgent3 min read
When everything is urgent, prioritise by arithmetic, not by feeling
Learn how to prioritise tasks effectively when everything feels urgent using arithmetic instead of gut feelings. Discover a structured approach.
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To-do list app with deadlines5 min read
A to-do list with deadlines still cannot tell you if you will meet them
A to-do list app with deadlines may look sufficient, but it can mislead you about your workload. Discover how to truly assess your deadlines.
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Start here
The idea5 min read
Your to-do list is lying to you, and it's an arithmetic problem
A sorted list looks like a plan. It isn't one, and the difference is a sum nobody is doing.
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Method6 min read
How to work out whether a deadline is actually possible
A five-minute calculation you can do on paper, and the two mistakes almost everyone makes doing it.
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Agencies5 min read
The capacity spreadsheet you keep rebuilding
Why every agency owner builds the same sheet, why it always dies, and what to do about it.
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How it works7 min read
Spreading, not cramming: how a planner should actually schedule your week
The scheduling rule that decides whether a generated plan is usable or ignored, and why greedy filling fails.
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Clients6 min read
How to tell a client their deadline is impossible
The conversation everyone dreads, why timing matters more than wording, and a script that works.
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Teams6 min read
How to plan a team's week when the team won't use your tools
Every small agency buys the tool, fills it in, and ends up the only one opening it. There is a way round that.
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