Eighteen terms, each with where it comes from, why it matters, and the mistake people usually make with it.
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1-3-5 Rule — Definition
The 1-3-5 rule caps a day at one big task, three medium tasks and five small ones. The weighting is the point: it…
Brain Dump — Definition
A brain dump is writing out everything on your mind in one unstructured pass, without sorting, grouping or editing…
Cognitive Load — Definition
Cognitive load is the total amount of working memory a task demands at one time, including both the task itself and…
Cognitive Offloading — Definition
Cognitive offloading is using an external tool or physical action to reduce the information-processing demand of a…
Context Switching — Definition
Context switching is moving attention between unrelated tasks, which carries a measurable cost in stress, frustration…
Decision Fatigue — Definition
Decision fatigue is the proposed decline in decision quality after making many decisions, derived from the…
Deep Work — Definition
Deep work is professionally demanding activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration, as distinct…
Eat the Frog — Definition
Eat the Frog is the practice of doing your hardest or most avoided task first, before other work has a chance to…
Eisenhower Matrix — Definition
The Eisenhower Matrix sorts tasks into four quadrants by whether they are urgent, important, both, or neither, to…
Executive Function — Definition
Executive function is the set of mental processes used to plan, initiate, sequence and monitor goal-directed…
Getting Things Done (GTD) — Definition
Getting Things Done is David Allen's productivity methodology built on capturing every commitment externally…
Inbox Zero — Definition
Inbox zero is the practice of processing every message out of the inbox so that none remain, originally about…
Most Important Task (MIT) — Definition
A Most Important Task is the one item that, if completed, makes the day worthwhile — typically limited to one to…
Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) — Definition
The Pareto principle observes that a large share of outcomes tends to come from a small share of causes, commonly…
Pomodoro Technique — Definition
The Pomodoro Technique divides work into focused intervals — traditionally 25 minutes — separated by short breaks…
Time Blocking — Definition
Time blocking is assigning specific calendar slots to specific work, so tasks occupy defended time rather than…
Zeigarnik Effect — Definition
The Zeigarnik effect is the tendency for unfinished tasks to be recalled more readily than completed ones, and to…
Frequently asked questions
Why does this glossary list common mistakes?
Because most of these terms are misused more often than they're misunderstood. Knowing the definition of decision fatigue is less useful than knowing the evidence for it is contested.
Are these definitions sourced?
Where a term comes from research, the entry names the researcher and the paper. Where it's a practitioner heuristic, we say so rather than dressing it up as science.