Never feel overwhelmed at work again: how to use the M.I.T. technique

As a full-stack developer, you likely have a never-ending to-do list filled with features to implement, bugs to fix, meetings to attend, code to review, and new technologies to learn. With so much on your plate, it‘s easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed out at work, unsure of how to fit it all in.

But what if I told you there was a simple technique that could help you take control of your workload, get more done, and never feel overwhelmed again? It‘s called the M.I.T. technique, which stands for "Most Important Task".

What is the M.I.T. technique?

The concept behind M.I.T. is simple: at the start of each day, choose 1-3 critical tasks that will have the biggest impact or create the most meaningful results, and focus on completing those first. These are your M.I.T.s for the day.

By front-loading your day with your most important work, you ensure that no matter what else comes up, you will have made progress on your key priorities. According to a survey by Atlassian, the average developer spends just 41% of their time on coding and development – the rest gets eaten up by meetings, interruptions, administrative tasks, and other distractio^1. The M.I.T. method helps you carve out dedicated time for deep, focused work.

The power of M.I.T. lies in its simplicity. Instead of getting bogged down in a massive to-do list and bouncing between tasks, you hone in on a small number of items that will move the needle. Productivity research shows that our brains are not wired for multi-tasking – trying to juggle too many things leads to decreased performance, increased errors, and more stress^2. With M.I.T., you give each task your full attention.

How to implement M.I.T. in your workday

So how do you put M.I.T. into practice as a busy developer? Here‘s a step-by-step method you can try:

1. At the beginning of your workday, take 5-10 minutes to review your projects and to-do list. What needs to get done today to meet deadlines or make progress on important goals? From this list, choose 1-3 items to be your M.I.T.s for the day. Write these down separately from your main task list.

2. Block off time on your calendar to work on your M.I.T.s. Treat this like an important meeting with yourself. Depending on the tasks, you may need 30 minutes, an hour, or a few hours. Be realistic in your time estimates, but challenge yourself to stay focused.

3. Tackle your M.I.T.s as early in the day as possible, when your energy and concentration are highest. Many people find mornings to be an ideal time for demanding cognitive work before distractions pile up. However, pay attention to your own productivity cycles – if you know you hit your peak in the afternoon, structure your M.I.T. time accordingly.

4. During your M.I.T. focus block, eliminate distractions and give the task at hand your full attention. Silence notifications, close unnecessary browser tabs, put on headphones if needed. If possible, work in a quiet space away from interruptions.

5. Take breaks between M.I.T. focus blocks to recharge, but don‘t let yourself get too sidetracked by low-priority busywork. If other urgent items come up, assess whether they need to be dealt with immediately or if they can wait until after your M.I.T.s are done for the day.

6. At the end of the day, review your progress and give yourself credit for completing your M.I.T.s, even if you didn‘t get to everything on your list. Remember, your goal is to move the needle on your most impactful work, not to check off as many boxes as possible.

Staying focused on your M.I.T.s

Of course, knowing the M.I.T. technique and actually putting it into consistent practice are two different things. It takes discipline to stay focused on important work in the face of constant demands on your time and attention.

One strategy is to be ruthless about designating time for deep work on your M.I.T.s. Put it on your calendar and protect that time as you would an important meeting. If possible, set your Slack status to let colleagues know you‘re focusing on a critical task and when you‘ll be free again.

It can also help to break your M.I.T.s down into smaller subtasks, especially if it‘s a complex project. That way, even if you only have a 30 minute block of time, you can chip away at a piece of it and maintain momentum. The key is to make consistent forward progress.

Using M.I.T. to manage long-term goals

While the M.I.T. method is primarily a daily planning technique, you can also use it to make headway on bigger goals that span weeks or months. When planning your week, identify a few high-level M.I.T.s that tie into your main objectives. Then, make sure your daily M.I.T.s are working toward those weekly targets.

Let‘s say one of your quarterly goals is to learn a new programming language or framework to expand your skill set. At the weekly level, your M.I.T. might be to complete an introductory online course. Your daily M.I.T.s could include chunks of time for watching video tutorials, building practice projects, and reviewing what you‘ve learned.

By connecting your daily efforts to a bigger purpose, you maintain motivation and direction. As you knock out your M.I.T.s consistently, you‘ll be amazed at how much progress you can make over time, without burning out in the process.

When M.I.T. may not be the right fit

The M.I.T. technique is not a silver bullet for productivity, and there are some situations where it may not be the optimal approach. If your work is highly unpredictable and you‘re constantly faced with urgent issues or on-call duties, you may struggle to block off uninterrupted time for focus.

Similarly, if your role involves a lot of collaboration and pairing with teammates, the deep work of M.I.T. may not gel with your normal work style. In a team environment, you may need to be more flexible to align with the group‘s needs and schedule.

That said, you can still apply the principles of M.I.T. by looking for your windows of peak focus time and defending them for your most cognitively demanding tasks. Even if you only get one 2-hour M.I.T. block per day, that‘s still a valuable way to make progress on important work.

Adopting M.I.T. for the long haul

Trying out a new productivity technique is one thing – making it a consistent habit is another. To make M.I.T. an integral part of your work style:

• Start small. Aim for 1 M.I.T. per day at first and gradually work up to 2-3 as you get more comfortable with the method.
• Experiment with different tracking setups until you find one that works for you. Some people prefer a simple notepad list, others use apps like Todoist or Trello. The medium doesn‘t matter as much as the process.
• Regularly review your progress and celebrate your wins. At the end of each week, look back at your M.I.T.s and give yourself credit for what you accomplished. Seeing the compound effect of small steps can be powerful motivation.
• Be patient with yourself. Building a new habit takes time, and you may have off days when urgent issues arise. The key is to get back on track as soon as you can.
• Find an accountability partner. Share your M.I.T.s with a colleague or post regular updates online to keep yourself honest. Knowing someone else is counting on you can provide a boost of motivation.

Pairing M.I.T. with other techniques

While the M.I.T. technique is effective on its own, you can amplify its impact by combining it with complementary strategies:

• Time blocking: Schedule your M.I.T.s during your peak focus windows. Productivity research indicates that we have limited reserves of mental energy that deplete over the course of the day.^3 Protecting your best hours for deep work can accelerate your progress.

• Pomodoro: If you struggle to focus for long stretches, try breaking your M.I.T. work into 25-minute pomodoros with 5-minute breaks in between. This helps maintain concentration and fends off mental fatigue.

• Batching: Group similar types of work like coding, meetings, or administrative tasks into designated time blocks. Context switching is cognitively taxing, so minimizing the mental gear-shifting can save time and energy.^4

• Timeboxing: Assign a time limit for each M.I.T. to keep you on track. Work tends to fill the time allotted to it, so giving yourself a deadline can boost efficiency. Just be realistic and allow some buffer.

• Delegation: Look for tasks that can be delegated or automated to free up more time for M.I.T.s. Could a junior team member handle that code review? Would a shell script save you time on that deployment process? Offloading work strategically is key for busy developers.

The impact of M.I.T. in action

In my own journey as a developer, adopting the M.I.T. technique has been transformative. Before, I would arrive at the office with an overwhelming list of tasks and no clear game plan. I‘d bounce between projects and meetings, always feeling behind the curve. By day‘s end, I was exhausted yet unsure of what I had actually accomplished.

Now, I begin each morning by identifying my 2-3 M.I.T.s and blocking off focus time. Some days it‘s implementing a key feature for our app. Other days, it‘s tackling a complex bug or working through a system design. I aim to get my M.I.T.s done before lunch when my energy is highest.

Completing my M.I.T.s gives me a real sense of accomplishment, even if fires crop up later in the day. I‘m able to make consistent progress on our team‘s main initiatives while still handling the inevitable interruptions. And I feel more in control of my workday instead of at the mercy of my mounting task list.

Since making M.I.T. a habit six months ago, my throughput and code quality have increased substantially. I‘m able to communicate my progress more clearly to my manager because I have specific, high-impact work to report each week. And the sense of momentum I feel by knocking out my daily M.I.T.s is fantastic for my motivation and job satisfaction.

Perhaps the biggest benefit has been to my peace of mind. I no longer stress about all the things I‘m not getting done because I‘m confident I‘m focusing my time and attention on the work that matters most. And that has made me a happier, less anxious, and more effective developer.

Never feel overwhelmed again

The M.I.T. technique is a simple yet powerful way to take control of your workload, make meaningful progress on your goals, and keep overwhelm at bay. By front-loading your day with 1-3 high-impact tasks, you ensure that your time and effort are aligned with your most important priorities.

Does it take discipline and planning to pull off? Absolutely. You have to be ruthless about carving out blocks of uninterrupted focus time for deep work. You have to get comfortable saying no to distractions and less critical demands on your attention. And you have to keep at it even when fires inevitably crop up.

But the payoff of M.I.T. is immense – greater productivity, more headway on long-term objectives, less stress, and more fulfillment in your work. In an industry that‘s always racing to keep up, M.I.T. is a way to keep your sanity and make sure you‘re sprinting in the right direction.

So give M.I.T. a try. Start each day by selecting your critical tasks and blocking off focus time. Incorporate it into your weekly and quarterly planning to turn small wins into major progress. Stay patient and persistent as you build the habit. And prepare to be amazed as the power of focusing on what matters most transforms your work and life as a developer.