0
Skip to Content
A PRAGMATIC MIND
All Articles
About me
Glossary
A PRAGMATIC MIND
All Articles
About me
Glossary
All Articles
About me
Glossary
Work Better Manuel 5/16/26 Work Better Manuel 5/16/26

Why I keep a shared document for every person I work with

Most work conversations follow the same pattern: wait for a meeting, present context, wait for a response, meet again. A shared running document where both sides write between meetings can break that cycle.

Read More
Work Better Manuel 5/15/26 Work Better Manuel 5/15/26

Why I write a weekly update before anyone asks

Every Friday, I spend 15 minutes writing down what I accomplished, where I got stuck, and what is next. Here is why this became the most useful habit in my work week.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Read More
Work Better Manuel 4/22/26 Work Better Manuel 4/22/26

Deep Work in an Open Office: Applying Cal Newport's Four Rules in Practice

I read Cal Newport's Deep Work years ago and have spent most of my career testing it in open-plan offices at startups and large corporations. This is a walkthrough of each of the four rules: what works, what breaks, and the adaptations I have ended up making.

Read More
Work Better Manuel 12/9/25 Work Better Manuel 12/9/25

Do We Really Need To Be Productive All The Time?

Productivity was never meant to define your life. This article explores why constant optimisation creates guilt, how modern work erases rest, and why sustainable productivity depends on a healthier rhythm of creating, maintaining, and restoring energy.

Read More
Work Better Manuel 11/12/25 Work Better Manuel 11/12/25

The Best Productivity Methods: How to Build a System That Truly Works

Productivity isn’t about doing more — it’s about building systems that make the right things easier to do.
In this essay, I share the seven methods that shaped how I actually work — from GTD to Time Blocking — and how combining them helped me find focus, balance, and peace of mind.

Read More
Book Recommendations, Work Better Manuel 11/2/25 Book Recommendations, Work Better Manuel 11/2/25

The Best Productivity Books That Actually Work

Over the years I’ve read countless productivity books, most inspiring, some overcomplicated. This guide collects the few that actually changed how I work, and how they fit together into something simple and sustainable.

Read More
Work Better Manuel 10/26/25 Work Better Manuel 10/26/25

My GTD Setup After 10 Years: What Survived and What I Changed

After ten years of practicing GTD, I’ve stripped the method down to what truly works. A simple, pragmatic system for staying organized in a digital world.

Read More

A PRAGMATIC MIND

Essays on productivity, clear thinking, and personal knowledge management. Written from inside the organization, not from the outside looking in.

Articles

Work Better
Think Better
Learn Better
Organize Better
Book Recommendations


All Articles

Contact

hello@apragmaticmind.com

Info

Imprint

Privacy Policy