I Was Juggling 3 To-Do List Apps until My Son Taught Me This
The brutal truth about productivity that no one talks about.
"You're not living. You're just existing," my son told me last Tuesday morning.
He caught me checking emails during his dinner chat — again. The innocence and truth in his words hit me like a truck. There I was, a self-proclaimed productivity expert, juggling three different to-do list apps while my son wanted five minutes of undivided attention.
The irony wasn't lost on me.
Let me be brutally honest: I was a mess. My desk resembled a command center, covered in sticky notes. My phone buzzed every few minutes with notifications from Todoist, Asana, and ClickUp. Yes, I was using all three simultaneously because each one had that "one feature" I couldn't live without.
One night, I found myself in bed at 2 AM, reading another article about "How This CEO Makes 48 Hours Feel Like 72."
My wife rolled over and mumbled, "Come to bed, workaholic." She was joking, but her words stung because they were true.
Then came the power outage — the universe's way of saying "enough."
My laptop's battery was dead (because who remembers to charge it?), my phone's battery was at 2%, and my portable charger was in the mess of my productivity tools.
I was forced to sit in silence for the first time in years. With my thoughts.
There are no perfectly timed Pomodoro sessions. No satisfaction in checking off tasks. Just me, a notebook I found in a drawer, and two hours of unplanned solitude.
And you know what?
It was terrifying. Then liberating. Then, it's transformative.
The 2-Hour Rule: Born from Desperation
What emerged from that forced digital detox was something I now call the 2-Hour Rule.
It’s embarrassingly simple: I dedicate the first two hours of my day to ONE thing that truly matters—not checking email.
I'm not scrolling LinkedIn or filling my carefully color-coded task management system.
Just. One. Thing.
The first day I tried it, I forgot to drink my coffee. It sat there getting cold while I was utterly absorbed in writing a project proposal on my "urgent" list for three weeks. The proposal was done in those two hours. Not just done — it was probably the best work I'd produced in months.
Here's what my first 2-hour session looked like:
First 20 minutes: I fought the urge to check my phone approximately 37 times
Following 20 minutes: Kept thinking about that funny cat video my friend sent
After 30 minutes, I finally hit my stride and focused
Last 50 minutes: Experienced what I used to think was mythical — actual flow state
I wish every session were perfect now. It's not. Sometimes, I wake up early, and my two hours become one. Sometimes, I cave and check my phone.
I'm human; this is real life, not a productivity tutorial.
The biggest surprise wasn't how much work I got done — it was what happened outside those two hours. I started being present for breakfast with my son. I heard my wife when she talked about her day, rather than just nodding while thinking about my task list.
Last week, I left my phone in another room during dinner, not because of some productivity rule but because I wanted to. The old me would have considered that blasphemy.
What This Looks Like in Real Life?
My new morning routine is laughably simple:
I wake up at 5:00 AM (full disclosure: sometimes it's 6, and sometimes I hit snooze)
Make coffee (this is non-negotiable)
Empty the dishwasher (while the coffee is being made)
Sit at my desk by 6 AM
Work on one crucial thing until 8 AM
Usually, forget to drink the coffee until it's cold
No fancy apps. No complicated systems. Just me, showing up for what matters.
You know what's funny? To boost my productivity, I've created a toolbox of tools. My obsession with efficiency had made me incredibly inefficient.
My son saw it before I did.
The 2-Hour Rule isn’t revolutionary. It’s not even clever. It’s just about creating space to think, create, and get meaningful work done.
It's about remembering that productivity isn't about doing more — it's about being more present in what you're doing.
A Confession
Some days, I still feel the pull to download the latest productivity app or try the newest time-management technique. Old habits die hard.
But then I remember my cold but beloved morning coffee and those precious hours of peace — and suddenly, all those shiny productivity tools don't seem so appealing anymore.
Now, Your Turn!
If you're reading this while juggling multiple productivity apps and feeling somewhat called out, that's good.
That means you're human, too. You don't need another app or system. You may need to permit yourself to focus on one thing at a time. Yes, you will struggle with motivation and focus, but you might get there one day.
Start small.
If two hours seem overwhelming, try it for an hour. The only rule is that this ‘rule’ must be present for whatever you choose to do at that time.
Share your story in the comments — I promise to read them during my designated "respond to comments" time block 😉
P.S. I wrote this entire post during one of my 2-hour morning sessions. The irony of writing about productivity during my productive time isn’t lost on me.
And yes, my coffee got cold again.
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