Tips for productivity : 1. Master the "Ivy Lee" Method At the end of each workday, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. List them in order of true importance. When you start the next day, work only on the first task until it is finished before moving to the second. 2. Utilize the "Rule of 3" Instead of a daunting 20-item to-do list, identify three outcomes you want to achieve by the end of the day. If you do nothing else but these three things, the day is a success. This prevents "busy-work" from stealing your time. 3. Practice "Time Blocking" Don’t just list tasks; assign them a home on your calendar. If a task doesn't have a specific time slot, it’s just a wish. Block out 90-minute sprints for deep, cognitively demanding work. 4. Kill the "Switching Cost" Every time you check a notification or answer a quick email, it takes an average of 23 minutes to regain full focus on your original task. Group similar tasks together (e.g., answer all emails at 4:00 PM) to avoid the mental tax of context switching. 5. The 2-Minute Rule If a task takes less than two minutes (filing a document, responding to a "yes/no" query, clearing your desk), do it immediately. Storing it in your brain or writing it down takes more energy than simply finishing it. 6. Optimize Your "Biological Peak Time" Track your energy levels for a week. Are you most sharp at 8:00 AM or 4:00 PM? Schedule your hardest, most creative work during your peak energy window and save administrative "shallow work" for your energy slumps. 7. Implement "Digital Minimalism" Your phone is a slot machine designed to steal your attention. Turn off all non-human notifications. During deep work sessions, put your phone in another room. If it's within reach, even if it's off, it’s a cognitive drain. 8. Use "Eat the Frog" Identify the one task you are dreading the most—the one you are most likely to procrastinate on. Do that task first thing in the morning. Once the "frog" is eaten, the rest of the day feels lighter and more productive.

This year was less about money and more about learning, clarity, and reality checks. At the start of the year, I was connected with a friend whose only focus was networking. Daily events. Meetups Conferences. CEO dinners. Founder circles. My goal back then was simple: local clients. I didn’t have a clear plan, so I kept saying yes. Wherever he said, I went. I spent a lot on events, petrol, food, roaming around. I did meet many big people in the industry CEOs, founders, decision-makers. The connections were real. The conversations were good. But none of them became clients. So yes, it was a great time for networking… but a bad time for earning. I was spending, not earning. Alhamdulillah, my father was supporting me. I had some clients too, but no real income, because I had only focused on skills, never on leads or sales. Then came Ramzan. In Ramzan, something unexpected happened. I created a sample template and sent it to 3–4 companies. I was mentally tired of asking money from my parents even though I was asking less than before, it still hurt. That thought used to hit hard:“Kab tak paisay maango ga? Kuch to karo.” Then suddenly, I got a call from a company. Honestly, I didn’t even know much about them. They asked about my salary expectations. I said, “I don’t know, let’s meet and discuss.” Later, when I followed up, they said: “You said you’re asking for 90k.” I was shocked. I never said that. But I still went for the interview without knowing much about the company, with a freelancer mindset. They offered a 2-day trial. I said yes. I started going to the office during Ramzan. This was the first Ramzan where I was waking up at 10 and sleeping early because of work. After the trial, they offered me 45k salary. Market-wise, it wasn’t great. But for me who was earning very little 45k felt big. Later, I found out they hired me mainly because I fit their budget. Still, I’m glad I joined. Why? Because my skills grew a lot there. I worked there for almost 8 months.