Ask Me Anything with Dr. Amantha Imber: My productivity systems, daily habits & overrated advice
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May 7, 2025
Discover innovative strategies to enhance your productivity and focus. The speaker reveals their daily structure, emphasizing the importance of working with your chronotype. Learn about the psychological hacks that help manage distractions, even on tough days. Explore two standout tools, Snipd for capturing podcast moments and Whisper Flow for effortless dictation, that can revolutionize your workflow. Whether you’re deep into productivity or just looking for small improvements, this conversation offers valuable insights for everyone.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Amantha's Ideal Workday Routine
Amantha Imber writes her book early mornings from 7 to 9 or 8 to 10 a.m., her peak focus time as a lark chronotype.
She enforces a strict daily word count of 1,000 to meet her manuscript deadline while balancing her consultancy work later in the day.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Use Time Boxing to Focus
Use time boxing to schedule tasks by booking meetings with yourself labeled as deep work.
Overestimate task durations deliberately to create a feeling of finishing early and gaining control over your day.
insights INSIGHT
Work with Your Chronotype
Energy ebbs and flows vary by chronotype: larks peak in the morning, middle birds mid-day, owls at night.
Aligning work schedules with your chronotype enhances productivity especially for deep, focused work.
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In 'Deep Work', Cal Newport argues that the ability to perform deep work—professional activities in a state of distraction-free concentration—is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. The book is divided into two parts: the first part explains why deep work is valuable, rare, and meaningful, while the second part presents four rules to transform your mind and habits to support this skill. These rules include 'Work Deeply', 'Embrace Boredom', 'Quit Social Media', and 'Drain the Shallows'. Newport provides actionable advice and examples from various successful individuals to help readers master the skill of deep work and achieve groundbreaking results.
Reset
Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society
Ronald Deibert
Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes and answering your questions about how I structure my day, manage distractions, and design habits that truly stick.
From my early-morning writing sessions to the psychological hacks I use to stay focused (especially on “off” days), I’m sharing what’s genuinely worked for me - and what hasn’t.
In this episode, I share:
The exact planning process I use every week and month
Why I don’t believe in only checking email twice a day
How I structure my day around my chronotype
The strategy I use when I’m feeling totally unfocused
How I’ve hacked my environment for better behaviour change
My go-to productivity tools and latest tech obsessions
Whether you’re deep in the productivity rabbit hole or just want to improve your focus and energy, there’s something here for you.
If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe
How I Work 
