Andy Boyer

Dad | Marketer | Psychology Student | Author | What's Next?

Category: Efficiency

The “Three Task Test”

June 21, 2026 /

I’ve struggled with concentration at different points in my life, and I’ve tried a number of ways to keep myself organized. Long to do lists seem like a good idea until I have 20 things staring back at me and spend more time thinking about the list than actually doing anything on it.

So lately I’ve been trying something much simpler. I write down three things.

They don’t have to be the three most important things in my life. Usually they’re just the three things already taking up space in my head. I get those done, cross them off, and then make another list of three.

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To Do list

When You Have Too Much to Do, Stop and Do Less

July 13, 2025 /

Eventually, the list gets away from you.

You sit down ready to work, but nothing moves. Your brain stalls. You’re not even procrastinating. You’re just stuck. The list looks like a mountain, and instead of climbing it, you stare at it, waiting for something to change.

The anxiety and stress don’t come from the list itself. They come from the pressure we put on ourselves to catch up. That pressure builds, and the spiral begins.

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A Modified Pomodoro Hack for Procrastination

June 4, 2024 /

I hate stressing about the easy things I haven’t done because I “don’t have the time.” I know that’s nonsense. I have the 10-20 minutes it will take. I need to momentum and confidence that I can get in and out in those 20 minutes, and not go to bed 2 hours later instead. So I’ve been trying this.

I took the standard Pomodoro technique which is 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off.

My version for the short sprint:

  • 20-minute timer, but I’m usually done faster,.
  • Something random from Spotify Music I’ve never heard before (no lyrics).
  • One task. One browser tab, no email, no pretending.

At the end, I don’t just take a break. I’ll do one physical movement. Walk in the yard, do a few pushups, stretch, whatever. It breaks the trance and resets the brain. Plus, my mind is focused now that one middling thing is done.

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