Set your intentions to guide your attention

Choose 3 main work intentions you want to accomplish by the day’s end
At the start of each day, write down 3 activities that you want to accomplish. Ensure that these 3 tasks are the most important activities in your day. If an unexpected project comes up during the day, weigh this new task against your 3 main intentions to determine if it deserves your attention.

Identify the most consequential tasks in your daily schedule
Look at your daily To-Do list and identify the short-term and long-term consequences of each task. Ask yourself: What will be different in my life as a result of spending time on this particular task? Which task, if completed, initiates a chain reaction that lets me accomplish more work? Then prioritize the most consequential tasks on your To-Do list.

Set more specific intentions to increase your odds of success
Let’s say you’re attending a conference but aren’t sure exactly how you’ll spend your time there. Instead of setting a vague intention to “attend conference meetings,” make your intention to “connect with 3 new people at the cocktail reception.” Instead of saying “I want to find an apartment during Christmas,” you can say “I’ll search for apartments on Craigslist and email 3 apartment landlords in the weeks leading up to Christmas.” Specific intentions are stronger and occupy attentional space more fully.