What do you do when you have a ton of important creative work to do, and are feeling stressed about your ability to get it done? My solution is to plan a "cave day", which is basically a block of time dedicated to doing deep work. On this episode, I share a few best practices for planning and executing a "cave day", then we interview Molly Sonteng, co-founder of CaveDay.org, about what she's learned from leading group work sessions.

Why should you intentionally go "into the cave"?

• You have time dedicated to what matters most
• So much of our stress is not knowing when and how the work will get done
• You eliminate the possibility of the tyranny of the urgent
• You psychologically orient yourself toward your biggest priorities
• You perform better when your mind is able to connect dots
• Your creative intuition and your senses are honed when you are doing "deep work"
• You notice nuances that you overlook when you are distracted
• You channel your resources like a river

How to go "into the cave":

• Literally make your space like a cave
• Low lighting
• Immersive sound
• Sensory deprivation
• Have a cave-entering ritual
• Light a candle or play some music
• Re-affirm your objectives

Set a time limit.

Mentioned in this episode:

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