On depleted days (capacity 1-2), cap deep work at 1 hour…
When daily capacity rating is 1-2 (depleted/foggy), limit focused work to 1 hour maximum and allocate remaining time to administrative tasks, recovery, or maintenance rather than forcing deep work.
When This Fires
- Morning self-assessment rates your capacity at 1 or 2 on a 5-point scale
- You notice fog, difficulty concentrating, or emotional reactivity at the start of the day
- After a night of poor sleep, during illness, or following a particularly draining previous day
- Any day where attempting deep work produces immediate frustration or stalling
Common Failure Mode
Pushing through because "I have deadlines." The deep work produced during depleted capacity will need to be redone — so the deadline pressure that motivated the push produces negative net progress. One hour of depleted deep work that's usable plus 5 hours of admin and recovery beats 6 hours of depleted deep work that's half unusable.
The Protocol
At the start of each day, rate your capacity 1-5. When rating is 1-2: (1) Allow yourself a maximum of 1 hour of focused deep work — ideally in your peak window. (2) Fill the remaining work time with low-demand tasks: email, administrative processing, knowledge base maintenance, filing, scheduling. (3) Incorporate genuine recovery: walk, nap, gentle movement, social connection. (4) Do not set ambitious goals for the day. The goal for a depleted day is: minimal damage and maximum recovery, so that tomorrow's capacity is restored.