What does it mean that work startup chains?

The sequence from arriving at work to beginning productive work should be automatic.

Example: You sit down at your desk, open your laptop, and close every browser tab from yesterday. You open your project management tool, scan the top three items, and select the one you will work on first. You open the relevant file, set a 25-minute timer, and begin writing the first sentence. Total elapsed time: seven minutes. No email checked, no Slack scrolled, no news consumed. The chain carried you from arrival to production without a single decision about what to do next.

Try this: Map your current work startup sequence tomorrow morning by writing down every action you take from the moment you arrive at your workspace until you begin your first meaningful task. Include timestamps. Then design a replacement chain of no more than six links, each taking under two minutes, that moves you from arrival to production. Post the chain where you will see it when you sit down, and run it for five consecutive workdays, noting the time from arrival to first productive action each day.