Uptime

Uptime Plot Summary

Introduction

In today's fast-paced world, many of us find ourselves caught in a never-ending cycle of busyness without productivity. We check off tasks on our to-do lists, attend countless meetings, and respond to an avalanche of emails, yet still feel we haven't accomplished what truly matters. This disconnect between activity and achievement leaves us exhausted, unfulfilled, and wondering where our time has gone. What if there was a better way? Imagine approaching each day with clarity about your priorities, understanding when your energy peaks, knowing exactly where to focus your attention, and having systems in place to execute flawlessly. This is what achieving "Uptime" means—a state where your intention matches your action, where you're operating at your optimal level in both work and life. Throughout these pages, you'll discover practical strategies to transform how you approach productivity, moving beyond outdated notions of constant busyness to embrace a more balanced, intentional, and ultimately more effective approach to getting things done.

Chapter 1: Define Your True Priorities

Priorities form the foundation of true productivity. Without clarity on what matters most, we risk spending our time on activities that feel urgent but aren't important, or spreading ourselves too thin across too many initiatives. The key to mastering productivity begins with identifying your top three priorities at any given time. When coaching executives at Google, Laura Mae Martin begins every session with a simple yet powerful question: "What are your top three priorities right now?" This question often reveals whether someone has clear direction or is operating in reactive mode. One executive she worked with, Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music Group, demonstrated the power of clear priorities. He maintained razor-sharp focus on his three priorities and communicated them to everyone he worked with. His list of tasks related to each priority was seamlessly shared with his chief of staff, assistant, and organization. These priorities became the theme of his work and his days, helping him focus on the right things and share a defined vision with his team. The impact was remarkable—everyone understood what mattered most, which streamlined decision-making and eliminated confusion about where to focus. Team members could quickly determine whether new requests aligned with the established priorities, and meetings became more productive because discussions centered around these key areas. By having his priorities clearly defined, Robert created a more efficient workflow for himself and his entire organization. To define your own priorities, start by asking yourself what three things would make the biggest impact on your work and life right now. These could span both professional and personal domains—there's just one you with one pool of time and energy. Next, identify two or three high-impact tasks that support each priority. For example, if one priority is "Reorganize my team," high-impact tasks might include meeting with HR to discuss new org chart options, scheduling skip-level meetings to understand roles and responsibilities, and conducting interviews for open positions. Once you've established your priorities, evaluate how your time is currently allocated. Print your calendar from the last two weeks and highlight everything that relates to your top three priorities. The highlighted portions reveal whether your time aligns with what you claim is important. Most people discover a significant gap—often spending less than 30% of their time on what matters most, when ideally it should be 70% or higher. Remember that your priorities will evolve over time. Review them monthly or quarterly, and adjust as needed. The goal isn't perfection but intention—making conscious choices about where to focus your limited time and energy rather than allowing others to dictate your priorities through their urgent requests.

Chapter 2: Master Your Energy Flow

Understanding your natural energy patterns is perhaps even more important than managing your time. Not all hours in your day are created equal when it comes to productivity potential. Identifying when you're at your best—and worst—allows you to match tasks to your energy levels for optimal performance. Laura worked with an advertising executive based on the West Coast who had teams in both New York and California. When she asked him when his energy was highest, he replied, "The morning! I'm definitely a morning person." Yet when she followed up with a question about his most strategic work, he admitted, "No, I'm in meetings with East Coasters all morning so I actually do most of my work when I'm feeling low energy in the afternoons." This mismatch between his peak energy time and his most demanding work was undermining his effectiveness. After charting his productivity patterns, they made a critical change: reserving two mornings each week exclusively for strategic work, with no meetings allowed. He shifted East Coast meetings to the other three mornings as much as possible. The results were dramatic—his overall weekly productivity increased by nearly 30% because he was now doing his most important work during his natural high-energy hours rather than slugging through it when his energy was lowest. To discover your own productivity patterns, keep a notepad by your desk for two weeks. Whenever you feel particularly focused or "in the zone," note the conditions: time of day, environment, what you've eaten or drunk, sleep quality the night before, and any other factors that might be relevant. Look for patterns to identify your "Power Hours"—the 2-3 hours daily when you're naturally most productive. Once you've identified these Power Hours, protect them fiercely. Block this time on your calendar for your most important, strategic work—the tasks that advance your top priorities. Even if you can only protect these hours once or twice a week, you'll see significant improvements in your output and satisfaction. Equally important is recognizing your "Off-peak Hours"—times when your energy naturally dips. Instead of fighting these lows, use them strategically for different types of work. Low-energy periods can actually be ideal for creative thinking, as research by Mareike Wieth from Albion College has shown. When we're slightly tired, our focus broadens, allowing for more creative connections. Off-peak Hours are also perfect for routine administrative tasks, catching up on industry reading, or less demanding meetings. The key insight is that productivity isn't about pushing through at all costs—it's about working with your natural rhythms rather than against them. As one executive Laura coached put it: "Does doing this task at this time feel like paddling against the current or floating downstream?" Always aim to float downstream by matching your work to your energy.

Chapter 3: Create Effective Boundaries

Setting boundaries is essential for protecting your time and energy, yet many people struggle with this critical skill. Without clear boundaries, others' priorities constantly override your own, leaving you exhausted and unable to focus on what matters most. Mastering productivity requires learning to establish and maintain boundaries that serve both your needs and those of others. Laura recalls a moment when she ran into an old colleague and friend, Mark, in one of Google's New York offices. Mark greeted her warmly: "Oh hi! It's so great to see you! I'd love to catch up soon so I'll add time to your calendar and of course I'll be sure to send over an agenda beforehand." This interaction confirmed that Laura had successfully built her reputation as someone who values her time without damaging relationships. Mark still wanted to connect with her, but he respected her boundary of only attending meetings with clear agendas. Effective boundaries aren't about saying "no" to everything—they're about being intentional with your yeses. When Laura begins working with clients, she asks them to identify three boundaries they've set for themselves. Examples might include: "I take all meetings between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.," "I leave at 5:00 p.m. every day to pick up my kids," or "I take meetings Monday-Thursday and schedule focus work on Friday." These boundaries don't need to be rigid—following them about 80% of the time is sufficient to create meaningful change. The key to maintaining boundaries without damaging relationships lies in how you communicate them. Laura recommends framing boundaries positively rather than negatively. Instead of saying "I don't take meetings on Friday," say "I take meetings Monday through Thursday." Rather than "I don't respond to instant messages after hours," try "I'm available by messaging between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m." This positive framing focuses others on what you can do rather than what you can't. To make boundaries stick, communicate them proactively. Some Google leaders have created "how to work with me" guides that explain their working style, meeting preferences, and communication expectations. Publishing these preferences removes guesswork and sets clear expectations. Even without a formal guide, you can share your boundaries during team meetings or one-on-one conversations. You can also maximize your impact within your boundaries by implementing strategies like office hours (dedicated time when people can connect with you for non-urgent matters), grouping similar meetings together, and embracing shorter meeting times. One executive Laura worked with realized she was holding separate meetings with different engineering groups that all ended up covering similar ground. By combining these into one engineering Q&A session, she saved time while actually improving information sharing across teams. Remember that boundaries aren't selfish—they're necessary for doing your best work and serving others effectively. As one professional Laura worked with discovered, gradually establishing boundaries led to better work, more respect from colleagues, and ultimately a promotion. By protecting your time and energy, you ensure you have enough of both to excel at what matters most.

Chapter 4: Transform Tools into Power Tools

The tools we use every day can either enhance our productivity or become sources of distraction and inefficiency. The difference often lies not in which tools we use, but in how thoroughly we understand and customize them to serve our specific needs. Mastering productivity requires transforming ordinary tools into power tools that work for you rather than against you. During a coaching session with an executive who had been using Gmail for work for twelve years, Laura showed him how to change the color of labels on messages. They created bright red labels for emails from his superiors and different colors for messages from outside the company, making it easier to prioritize his attention. He was amazed at how much this simple customization improved his workflow, though he couldn't help but wish he'd learned it years earlier. This experience highlights a common phenomenon: most people use only a fraction of their tools' capabilities. For any product you touch once a week or more—from your email program to your calendar to your washing machine—spending just twenty minutes exploring the settings can yield enormous dividends. Laura's father-in-law loads his dishwasher with remarkable precision, fitting in far more dishes than seems possible while ensuring everything comes out clean. His secret? He actually read the manufacturer's instructions on how to pack the dishwasher. This small upfront investment continues to save him time every single day. The same principle applies to digital tools. Laura has sent a weekly email with productivity tips to over fifty thousand Google employees for nine years, sharing shortcuts and features in Google Workspace. When people ask how she discovers these tips, her answer is simple: "I found them in the settings." The settings of any product are there to help you customize it to your needs, yet most people never take the time to explore them. Beyond settings, keyboard shortcuts offer another powerful way to enhance productivity. A calculation by the education platform Brainscape estimated that learning keyboard shortcuts for your top daily actions could save up to sixty-four hours—eight working days—each year. Start with shortcuts for the actions you perform most frequently, like replying to emails or switching between tabs. For a fun challenge, try "keyboard shortcut boot camp" by temporarily disabling your mouse, forcing yourself to learn the keyboard methods for everything you do. Customization extends beyond efficiency to appearance and personal touch. You're more likely to maintain and use tools that appeal to you visually. Laura shares the story of Tom Oliveri, VP of the CEO team at Google, who has numerous priorities crossing his desk daily. His assistant, Sarah, wanted a way to flag the most important items, so she began sending emails with a single burrito emoji in the subject line (Tom loves burritos for lunch). This playful signal became known as "The Burrito List," making a mundane task more engaging than a standard "To-Do List." As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into our tools, approach it with the same mindset: understand its capabilities, experiment with prompts, and provide feedback to improve results. While AI isn't a replacement for human creativity and judgment, it can become another power tool in your productivity arsenal when used thoughtfully. Remember that the most powerful tools are those you've taken the time to understand and customize. The small investment of exploring settings, learning shortcuts, and personalizing your digital environment pays enormous dividends in time saved and frustration avoided.

Chapter 5: Balance Downtime and Uptime

In our achievement-oriented culture, we often equate productivity with constant activity. Yet true productivity—what Laura calls "Uptime"—requires strategic periods of rest and disconnection. Downtime isn't wasted time; it's essential fuel for your most productive periods. During her productivity workshops, Laura asks participants to close their eyes and think of the two places where they get their best ideas. When they share their answers, the results are remarkably consistent: the shower, during commutes, or while doing something unrelated to work like cooking or walking the dog. Almost no one mentions getting their best ideas during back-to-back meetings or while sifting through emails. This simple exercise reveals a profound truth: our most creative thoughts often emerge during moments of quiet and disengagement. One advertising executive Laura coached struggled with chronic overwhelm and creative blocks. Despite working long hours, his output was declining in both quantity and quality. During their sessions, they discovered he had eliminated nearly all downtime from his schedule—he listened to podcasts during his commute, checked email while waiting for meetings to start, and even scrolled through industry news while brushing his teeth. His brain never had a chance to process information or generate new ideas. Laura recommended he incorporate intentional "white space" in his calendar—short periods with no planned activity. Additionally, she suggested he take a fifteen-minute walk after lunch without his phone and designate his morning shower as a "thinking shower" rather than a "podcast shower." Within weeks, he reported feeling more creative and less stressed. His team noticed the difference too, commenting on his improved focus in meetings and more innovative approaches to client challenges. This experience aligns with research on how creativity works. Creativity often involves connecting previously unrelated ideas—something that happens more readily when our minds are relaxed and allowed to wander. When we're constantly stimulated with input, our brains don't have the opportunity to make these connections. As Laura explains, "There is a difference between thinking about something and thinking of something. And you have to create the space for that to happen." The balance between downtime and uptime is similar to interval training in fitness—periods of intensity followed by recovery. Just as athletes need rest days to build strength, knowledge workers need mental downtime to integrate information and generate insights. Laura likens productivity to a rubber band: "You have to pull back to shoot forward at the fastest speed. You can't be going forward at top speed all the time." Protecting downtime doesn't require dramatic changes. Start with small pockets of intentional disconnection: a phone-free lunch break, a ten-minute walk without podcasts, or even a shower without background noise. Aim for at least one hour of "silent awake time" throughout your day—time when your brain isn't actively absorbing new information but processing what it already knows. Remember that you must intentionally create this space; no one will create it for you. As Laura notes, "Absolutely no one will ever look at your schedule and think, 'Ya know, it looks like she could use some more think/brainstorm time in that schedule.'" By balancing strategic downtime with focused uptime, you'll not only accomplish more but enjoy greater creativity and satisfaction in both work and life.

Chapter 6: Implement Mindful Routines

Routines provide structure and rhythm to our lives, reducing decision fatigue and helping us consistently make time for what matters most. Rather than relying solely on willpower to form new habits, establishing mindful routines creates natural flows that make productivity feel effortless and sustainable. Laura shares her personal struggle with learning new piano pieces despite playing for twenty years. She wanted to expand her repertoire but kept putting it off—it was always something she was "meaning to do" but never actually did. The breakthrough came when she created what she calls a "when:then" routine: when she finished putting her daughter to bed (the last of her three children), then she would walk straight to the piano. By connecting the new behavior (playing piano) to an existing habit (bedtime routine), she created a natural trigger that required minimal willpower. At first, she "Swiss-cheesed" the task to make it feel manageable—her only goal was to walk from her daughter's room and sit at the piano bench. Sometimes she played for just five minutes, sometimes for an hour. Her husband noticed this pattern and adjusted his expectations, knowing she wouldn't be ready to watch a show or play a board game until she finished at the piano. The routine became so ingrained that it felt strange not to play piano after bedtime. A study published in the European Journal of Personal Psychology found that the average time for a new behavior to become automatic is sixty-six days. However, Laura found that with a solid when:then connection, habits formed much faster because the trigger (her daughter's bedtime) was consistent and unavoidable. This approach works for any area where you want to establish consistency. Laura shares several of her personal when:then routines: "When our monthly team meeting happens, then I spend thirty minutes afterward putting notes in my annual review folder." "When it's Monday, then I do laundry for everyone in the house." "When it's the second Saturday of the month, then my husband and I go on a date." These connections remove the mental burden of remembering and deciding, making follow-through almost automatic. The power of when:then can extend beyond recurring routines to one-time memory aids. If you remember something you need to pack while lying in bed, visualize yourself doing something you know you'll do in the morning (like grabbing your keys) and then immediately envision remembering what you need. Repeat this association three times, and when you grab your keys the next morning, the image of what you need to pack will likely pop into your head. When establishing routines, take advantage of natural starting points. In his book When, Daniel Pink discusses how temporal landmarks like Mondays, the first day of a month, or the beginning of a new year provide psychological fresh starts. You're much more likely to stick with a routine if you begin on a Monday rather than a Thursday or Friday. The beauty of routines is that they free up mental space by removing uncertainty and decision-making from recurring activities. You no longer have to wonder when you'll find time to exercise, read, or tackle home maintenance—these activities have designated places in your schedule, triggered by existing habits. This creates both consistency and peace of mind, allowing you to focus your mental energy on more creative and strategic thinking.

Chapter 7: Beat Procrastination Through Planning

Procrastination affects everyone, even the most productive among us. We add the same task to our to-do list day after day, continually putting it off despite knowing it needs to be done. Understanding why we procrastinate and implementing strategic planning techniques can help us overcome this common productivity challenge. Laura worked with a marketing director who had been meaning to create a new training module for her team for months. Despite blocking time on her calendar and adding it to her daily to-do list, she consistently found reasons to postpone the task. During their coaching session, Laura helped her identify why she was procrastinating using Timothy A. Pychyl's framework of the seven attributes that make tasks procrastination-prone: boring, frustrating, difficult, ambiguous, unstructured, lacking intrinsic reward, or not meaningful. They discovered the training project felt overwhelming because it was ambiguous (she wasn't sure where to start) and unstructured (she hadn't broken it down into manageable pieces). With this understanding, they applied the "Swiss cheese" technique—poking holes in the task until it became small enough that her brain no longer resisted starting. Instead of "Build a new training module," she redefined the first step as "Just open a document and make the title slide." Making the title slide felt fun and creative, requiring minimal energy to begin. The marketing director also realized she was trying to work on the training during her lowest-energy time of day—late afternoons when she struggled to focus on complex tasks. By moving this work to her morning "Power Hours" and matching it with her Tuesday "Team Development" theme day, she created ideal conditions for success. The training was completed within two weeks, after months of procrastination. Another powerful technique Laura teaches is acting like your own assistant. She shares a personal example of wanting to paint a wooden planter on her sunporch. Despite walking past it multiple times daily and feeling bothered by its unfinished state, she couldn't seem to get started. One morning, she asked herself: "If I was someone's assistant, and I wanted my boss to get this done tomorrow, what would I do?" She went to the garage, gathered the paint, a paintbrush, and a towel, and placed everything next to the planter. The next day, seeing the supplies already laid out, she thought, "Well, the paint is already sitting out here, might as well go ahead and paint it." Time estimation also helps overcome procrastination. Laura timed herself emptying the dishwasher—a task she dreaded—and discovered it took only four minutes. This knowledge transformed her relationship with the chore. Similarly, she timed herself sweeping all her downstairs floors and found it took just eight minutes. Now she looks for eight-minute windows throughout her day: "My pasta boils for eight minutes—great time to sweep the floor." For large, multi-step projects, Laura recommends stopping in the middle rather than at natural breaking points. If you're writing a report, don't end your work session at the completion of a section. Instead, stop mid-paragraph when you already know what comes next. This makes it easier to re-engage during your next work session because you don't face the resistance of starting something new. Finally, leverage social accountability by scheduling meetings related to project completion before you've even started the work. If you need to create a presentation, set up a review session with colleagues for two weeks from now. Having others expect your finished work by a specific date creates powerful motivation to overcome procrastination. The key insight is that procrastination isn't a character flaw but a challenge with specific solutions. By understanding why you're putting something off, breaking tasks into tiny steps, setting yourself up for success, and creating accountability, you can transform procrastination into productive action.

Summary

Throughout these chapters, we've explored a comprehensive approach to productivity that goes far beyond conventional time management. True productivity isn't about doing more—it's about doing what matters most, at the right time, in the right place, with the right energy. As Laura Mae Martin reminds us, "When your intention matches your action, it's productive." This powerful definition shifts our focus from quantity to quality, from busyness to effectiveness. The path to mastering productivity begins with a single step: choose one technique from this book that resonated most strongly with you and implement it today. Perhaps it's defining your top three priorities, identifying your Power Hours, establishing a when:then routine, or simply creating ten minutes of intentional downtime. Remember that small changes, consistently applied, lead to remarkable results. As you experience the benefits of working with your natural rhythms rather than against them, you'll be inspired to incorporate more of these practices into your daily life, gradually achieving that state of "Uptime" where productivity and wellbeing harmoniously coexist.

About Author

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Laura Mae Martin

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