SESSION 3 SUMMARY · 4 HOURS
Sort it Out #3: Making it stick — habits, flow, and its design.
The system is only as good as the habits that run it.
Session 3 covers how to design your working day, how to get into a creative flow — and how to make all of this automatic through habit science and neuroplasticity.
THE NATURAL PLANNING MODEL
How to think about any project or meeting.
The Natural Planning Model (NPM) is David Allen’s framework for planning that mirrors how the brain naturally works when it’s at its best. Most project planning jumps straight to tasks — skipping the purpose, vision, and idea generation that make those tasks worth doing. The NPM forces the right order.
It applies to everything: a complex project, a weekly team meeting, a difficult conversation. The four steps are always the same.
Purpose and guiding principles. A simple system you review regularly beats a complex one you avoid to look at /check.
Goal / successful outcome. What does “done” look like? What would have to be true for this to be considered a success?
Outcome brainstorming. Collect ideas from everyone involved — without filtering. The job in this stage is to generate, not evaluate.
Organizing next actions. Assess the ideas, identify dependencies, define the next concrete actions. Now you have an action plan.
HABIT FORMATION
Why willpower alone doesn’t work — and what does.
he human brain runs roughly 35,000 decisions per day — up to 50% on autopilot. The goal of habit design is to put as many of your productive behaviours onto autopilot as possible, freeing your conscious brain for the things that actually require it. This session introduces two complementary models for building lasting habits.
HABITS
The “planner” and the “toddler”
Think of yourself as two characters: the Planner (your rational, deliberate self) and the Toddler … click to read further
(your energy-saving, comfort-seeking autopilot). The Toddler runs most of your day.
The goal isn’t to fight the Toddler — it’s to train it. Once a behaviour becomes a habit, the Toddler runs it automatically, freeing the Planner for bigger things.
Small, manageable steps are key: the Toddler won’t cooperate with drastic changes.
MALLEABLE BRAIN
Neuroplasticity in a nutshel
The brain rewires itself through the repetition — this is called the neuroplasticity… click to read further
Every time you perform a new behaviour, you strengthen the neural pathway for it.
With enough repetition, it becomes effortless. This is the biological basis for habit formation.
It also explains why the 3-week challenge at the end of the course is 3 weeks, not 3 days: new pathways need time and repetition to consolidate.
MOTIVATION
Fogg Behaviour Model (WIN)
W — Want. It’s nearly impossible to turn something into a habit if you don’t actually want to do it. Ask yourself: why do I want this? What’s the end value — not just the face value? … Click to read further
If you’re failing at something, it’s likely because you haven’t answered this clearly.
I — Innate. If the behaviour is consistently difficult, it won’t stick. Break it into the smallest possible step. Want to wake up earlier? Start with 15 minutes earlier for two weeks — not two hours earlier overnight.
N — Now. Create a prompt: a cue that triggers the behaviour. Place your workout clothes where you’ll see them. Put your GTD inbox somewhere you open every morning. The environment is more powerful than intention.
How to built a new habbit?
By using the Fogg Behavioral Model and implementing it ONE small simple step at a time.
Changes that very from your standard behaviour too greatly will be rejected by your body very quickly. Our built in habitual mechanisms are very powerful and the only way to trigger long lasting changes in, is to familiarize them with new things one step at the time.
FLOW STAGES
4 stages of “flow state” — and how to get there.
Flow is the state of complete absorption in a meaningful, well-matched task. It’s the most productive state a knowledge worker can be in. It doesn’t happen by accident — it follows a predictable four-stage cycle, and it has predictable enemies.
STAGE 1
Struggle
You engage the most with a task that is challenging but not overwhelming to you. This stage feels uncomfortable because it takes you out of your comfort zone — but it’s necessary. Don’t skip it.
STAGE 2
Relaxation
You need to go a step back — briefly take a break, a walk, a moment of idle thinking. This is when the brain consolidates what we have just worked on. Essential, it’s not an optional step.
STAGE 3
Flow
Dots connect, time disappears, output quality rises. This is the stage you’re building toward. It typically requires 90–120 minutes of protected time to enter and maintain.
STAGE 4
Consolidation
After flow, the brain needs recovery. Don’t push straight into another demanding session. Rest here — and the cycle can begin again stronger.
WEEKLY PLANNING
Week that doesn’t just happen to you.
Before each week begins, ask yourself: of everything on your plate, which three outcomes would make this week feel like a genuine success? These become your Weekly Big Three, a concept developed by Michael Hyatt — your compass for the week, protected by calendar blocks.
3 ROCKS
Choose your rocks first
Fill the jar with the big rocks before the sand and gravel (small and tiny things). If you schedule your most important work before the reactive requests arrive, it actually gets done. If you leave it to the gaps, it doesn’t.
3 BLOCKERS
Book calendar blockers
Once you’ve chosen your Big Three, estimate how long each will take and book those slots in your calendar immediately. Treat them as real commitments — because they are.
3 VERBS
Use action verbs
Start each weekly objective with a clear verb (e.g., Draft, Review, Finalize). Knowing the exact next thing to do will spear you a mental capacity to clarify it again.
What to remember
KEY TAKE AWAYES FROM SESSION 3
Plan from purpose, not from tasks. The Natural Planning Model works because it forces you to define “why” before “what”. Purpose filters everything that follows.
Train the Toddler, don’t fight it. Willpower depletes. Habits compound. Start smaller than feels meaningful — then let repetition do the work.
Flow is a cycle, not a state. You can’t force it — but you can design conditions that make it likely: protected time, clear goals, meaningful work.
Your day needs a structure, not a script. Morning, midday, and end-of-day routines don’t eliminate flexibility — they create the stability.
The Big Three protect what matters most. Three things, every week, in your calendar. This is the simplest (and most effective) weekly planning practice.
Programs to Start Practicing Today
INDIVIDUAL
$959
ONE TIME Payment
Online.
3 days of training
(date selected by you).
One-on-one session, perfect to address your precise needs and experiences.
GROUP
$219
ONE TIME Payment
Online.
3 weekend days of online training
(Fr/ Sa /Su).
The group setting is perfect for discussions and exchanging experiences between attendice.
CORPORATE
Staring at:
$2590
ONE TIME Payment
Online / onsite.
3 week days of training
(date selected by the requestor).
Training tailored to specific company circumstances.
