Notes on building a calmer, sharper mind

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 28 November 2025 You've just finished reviewing a proposal when Slack pings. Quick reply, you think—30 second...

In today's fast-paced digital world, managing personal tasks can seem like a juggling act. From meetings to errands, it's crucial to find a system that organizes tasks without overwhelming you. ##...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 27 November 2025 OpenAI announced o3 yesterday—not another incremental GPT improvement, but a fundamentally diff...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 26 November 2025 Google launched Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking yesterday—their answer to OpenAI's o1 reasoning model...

## Embracing Neurodivergence as a Superpower Being neurodivergent means experiencing and processing the world differently, bringing unique strengths and perspectives. Here's why it's a superpower:...

## Being Neurodivergent is a Superpower Being neurodivergent means seeing the world through a unique lens, often sparking creativity and innovation. Many neurodivergent individuals excel in areas th...

### AI is Changing Procrastination **Introduction** - AI's impact on procrastination habits. - Promise: How AI tools help overcome procrastination. - Proof: Examples of technology that keeps us prod...

## Being Neurodivergent is a Superpower in the Age of AI In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, the unique perspectives and skills of neurodivergent individuals are increasingly recogn...

# Being Neurodivergent is a Superpower in the Age of AI In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, being neurodivergent brings unique perspectives and skills that are especially v...

Content coming soon...

# Procrastination in the Age of AI is Wild Content coming soon....

### Content coming soon...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 20 November 2025 Three significant acquisitions in six weeks signal what industry observers have been predicting...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Microsoft announced major Copilot pricing restructuring on November 15, 2025. The changes affect enterprise customers sig...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 15 November 2025 I've built four second brains. The first three failed spectacularly—one lasted six week...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Analysis **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Apple Intelligence launched with iOS 19 in May 2025. Six months later, I surveyed 340 Apple users about actual productivit...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 12 November 2025 ADHD brains need productivity apps that accommodate time blindness, task initiation struggles...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 10 November 2025 "What's the best task management app?" is the wrong question. The right question: "What's th...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 8 November 2025 OmniFocus is the Ferrari of task managers: powerful, precise, and built for users who've...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Analysis **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Zoom launched **AI Companion 2.0** in October 2025—included free with all paid Zoom plans (no add-on cost). Features: meet...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 5 November 2025 AI productivity tools raised $12.4 billion in 2024, a 63% increase from 2023. But the money didn...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 5 November 2025 Calendar blocking—scheduling specific blocks of time for specific types of work—is the m...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Anthropic launched Claude Opus 4 on October 28, 2025—their flagship model competing with GPT-4o and Gemini Pro. Two headl...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 30 October 2025 Context-aware reminders fire when you're in the right place, have free time, or receive a trig...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 28 October 2025 The freezer breaks overnight. A server calls in sick 30 minutes before service. A suppli...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 22 October 2025 I thought I had ADHD. Couldn't focus for more than 15 minutes without my attention fragmentin...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 20 October 2025 Things 3 has been the gold standard for Apple-native task management since 2017. Its mini...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 15 October 2025 "Should I use Linear or Chaos for project management?" Wrong question. Linear and Chaos solv...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 15 October 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: AI Research Lead, Chaos Council] **Why it matters:** Google's Gem...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Evaluation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Superhuman costs **£25/month** (or $30 USD) for email. That's absurd on its face—Gmail is free. But after 60 days usi...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 12 October 2025 Documentation goes stale the moment you publish it. An engineer ships a breaking change,...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 8 October 2025 Inbox Zero has been declared dead approximately 47 times since Merlin Mann coined the ter...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 5 October 2025 A customer goes dark six weeks before renewal. You scramble to reconnect, but they've alr...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 3 October 2025 Habitica turns your to-do list into an RPG. Complete tasks, earn XP, level up your avatar,...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Evaluation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Arc Browser **completely redesigns web browsing**—vertical sidebar instead of horizontal tabs, "Spaces" for context-s...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 28 September 2025 AI transformed note-taking in 2024. Apps now summarise meetings, answer questions about your...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Evaluation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Reclaim AI **auto-schedules your tasks onto your calendar** using AI. Instead of manually time-blocking "Write report...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Adoption **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 26 September 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Head of Enablement, Chaos Council]...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 25 September 2025 Notion acquired Cron (rebranded "Notion Calendar") for £75M last month. This wasn't about addi...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 25 September 2025 Session notes pile up when you're seeing clients back-to-back. By Friday, you're recon...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Analysis **By Max Beech, Head of Content** The UK's **largest four-day work week trial** concluded in September 2025: 120 companies, 3,000+ workers, 6-month trial pe...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 18 September 2025 The Pomodoro Technique—work for 25 minutes, break for 5, repeat—is embarrassingly simp...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 18 September 2025 Your designer in Berlin needs feedback from your PM in San Francisco. There's a two-ho...

Mornings can feel like a gauntlet when your brain struggles with transitions. The secret isn’t more discipline; it’s a gentler ramp that reduces decisions and lets Chaos handle the logistics. This ro...

When you’re juggling investors, hiring, and delivery, memory slips are expensive. The answer is an external brain that captures ideas instantly, surfaces them when the context is right, and keeps sta...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Research **By Max Beech, Head of Content** I surveyed 1,000 fully-remote knowledge workers about their productivity tool usage. The finding: **Tool fragmentation is...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 12 September 2025 TickTick runs everywhere: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, web, browser extensions, a...

Time blindness makes commuting stressful—five minutes evaporates, the train door shuts, and the day starts frazzled. This toolkit combines sensory cues, realistic buffers, and Chaos automations so yo...

Executive dysfunction feels like knowing exactly what needs to happen and still being unable to get yourself to start. The to-do list grows, the guilt builds, and the window for action shrinks. Rathe...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 10 September 2025 Your first engineering job feels like drinking from a firehose. The codebase is vast,...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Optimisation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 9 September 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Executive Producer, Chaos Collecti...

Kitchen tables rarely support deep focus. Students with ADHD need a study nook that balances sensory comfort, movement, and smart reminders. Here’s how to build one without spending a fortune....

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Activation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 7 September 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Remote Program Lead]...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Sunsama is **intentionally slow**—forces daily planning ritual, discourages rushing. Chaos is **AI-fast**—suggests prio...

A sharp drop in motivation mid-afternoon is rarely about laziness; it is dopamine signalling that the reward is too distant. People with ADHD feel that cliff more intensely, yet a well-designed syste...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Resilience **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 5 September 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Principal SRE] **Why...

Remote teams slip into marathon calls and forget to breathe. A dopamine break menu gives everyone quick, restorative options that keep motivation high without derailing the day. ## Curate Evi...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 3 September 2025 Microsoft raised Copilot 365 pricing from $30/user/month to $45/user/month in August 2024,...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Resilience **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 2 September 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Incident Commander] *...

Final-year dissertations demand sustained focus, which is tough when ADHD impacts working memory and planning. Build a rescue plan that structures progress without suffocating creativity. ##...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Resilience **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 29 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Communications Director]...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Analysis **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Slack launched AI features on August 26, 2025: **thread summaries, semantic search, channel recaps, and writing assistance...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Adoption **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 28 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Change Director, Chaos Council]...

Passion Planner has a loyal following for its weekly layouts and reflective prompts. Chaos approaches the same problem with AI, timing, and automation. Here’s how they stack up when executive functio...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Activation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 28 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Operations Lead, Chaos Council]...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 27 August 2025 GitHub Copilot Workspace launched in technical preview in April 2024, promising to turn issue des...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Delivery **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 27 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Client Services Lead] **W...

Household friction often stems from invisible labour. A living ops manual turns essential tasks into shared routines, freeing mental space for everyone. ## Document the Essentials ###...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Automation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 24 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Chief of Staff] **Why i...

Weekends often vanish into errands and doom scrolling. This reset keeps them restorative by batching admin, rebuilding dopamine, and letting Chaos cue supportive routines. ## Protect Energy F...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Delivery **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 24 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Head of Product] **Why it...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 22 August 2025 "Can you make it pop more?" is not actionable feedback, yet designers hear variations of...

**Category:** Athenic · **Stage:** Adoption **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 22 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: VP Product, Chaos] **Why...

Notion Calendar landed with huge fanfare this year, giving knowledge workers a slick timeline alongside databases. Yet when you live with time blindness or executive dysfunction, pretty views are onl...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Optimisation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 21 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Automation Lead] **Wh...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Governance **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 21 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Chief Information Security Advisor]...

Managers shape the day-to-day reality of neurodivergent employees. Build a toolkit that respects executive function differences while keeping projects on track. ## Normalise Clarity #...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Enablement **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 21 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Director of Research Ops]...

If you live with ADHD, a generic to-do list usually turns into a graveyard of forgotten intentions. The right task app needs to feel more like an assistant than a spreadsheet. Two front runners often...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Revenue **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 20 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: VP Sales, Chaos Council] *...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 19 August 2025 Asana is a team project management platform with task assignments, dependencies, timelines...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Scale **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 18 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Managing Partner, Agency Collective]...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Governance **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 18 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Head of Procurement] **...

Studying alongside someone else—virtually or in person—keeps ADHD brains anchored. This playbook shows how to set up body doubling sessions that actually stick. ## Set the Ground Rules...

Feeding yourself should not feel like a full-time job. Use AI to simplify meal planning so ADHD households enjoy varied, nutritious food without constant decision fatigue. ## Build a Rotating...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Microsoft To Do is **free with Microsoft 365**—deep Outlook integration, cross-platform sync, enterprise-ready. Chaos i...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Optimisation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 15 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Head of Analytics] **...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Delivery **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 15 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Head of Engineering] **Wh...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 14 August 2025 A virtual attendee can't hear the Q&A. The in-person mic cuts out mid-keynote. Registrati...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 14 August 2025 You know you should start the report. It's due tomorrow. You've had two weeks. Yet here you ar...

When you’re juggling investor updates, customer interviews, and product experiments, a reliable research diary keeps insight loss to a minimum. Here’s how one founder uses Chaos to capture, organise,...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Migration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 12 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Knowledge Manager] **Why...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Capture **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 12 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Head of Design Ops] **Why...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Scale **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 12 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Director of Delivery, Chaos Labs]...

Unread emails are just hidden tasks. This workflow shows how to turn every request into a trackable action without living in your inbox. ## Capture Without Manual Labour ### Auto-forw...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Optimisation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 9 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Head of Data Science]...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Evaluation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 9 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Director of Product Research]...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Evaluation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 9 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Collaboration Strategist]...

Hormonal shifts can intensify ADHD symptoms, especially memory lapses around the luteal phase. Build adaptive systems that respond to your cycle so you’re not blindsided each month. ## Map Yo...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 6 August 2025 Anthropic released Claude 3.5 Sonnet in June 2024, claiming it outperforms GPT-4 on most benchmark...

Motion and Chaos both promise to automate your day, yet their philosophies diverge. Motion reorders tasks algorithmically, while Chaos layers context and compassionate reminders. Here’s how they comp...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Regulation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 6 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Legal Counsel] **Why it mat...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 5 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: VP Data, Chaos Council] **Wh...

Open-plan offices, constant pings, and harsh lighting can drain neurodivergent professionals long before lunch. This template helps you script a workday that respects sensory needs while staying prod...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Raycast is **modern, free, extensible**—built-in clipboard history, window management, script commands. Alfred is **mat...

Habit stacking—linking a new habit to an existing one—works well for neurodivergent brains because it piggybacks on familiar cues. Chaos magnifies the effect by timing prompts to the exact moment you...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Adoption **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 2 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: ML Lead] **Why it matters:**...

Procrastination is rarely solved with harsher deadlines. Psychologists describe it as an emotional regulation problem—the brain swaps discomfort now for guilt later.^[[1]](https://hbr.org/2019/03/why...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 29 July 2025 Post-production shouldn't take longer than recording. Yet most podcasters spend 3-4 hours e...

Burnout rarely arrives without warning. For neurodivergent teams juggling sensory overload and executive strain, spotting early signals is vital. AI can surface the patterns humans overlook....

Travel amplifies sensory overload, time pressure, and admin juggling. Arm yourself with a survival kit blending practical tools and Chaos automations tailored to UK rail and air travel. ## Pr...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Governance **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 24 July 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Regulatory Counsel, Chaos]...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 23 July 2025 Microsoft To Do is free for Microsoft 365 users and integrates seamlessly with Outlook, Team...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 22 July 2025 Getting Things Done (GTD)—David Allen's productivity methodology from 2001—has survived 23...

ADHD procrastination isn’t laziness; it’s a nervous system seeking safety. Interrupt the loop by making the first step irresistibly small, loading it with context, and letting Chaos catch you before...

Meeting fatigue compounds forgetfulness. Instead of relying on memory, design a note-taking flow that captures decisions, actions, and context in the moment so nothing slips. ## Template the...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Trust **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 18 July 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Head of Legal, Chaos Council] **W...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 17 July 2025 Notion launched AI Q&A in June 2024, letting teams query their entire workspace conversationally. I...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Analysis **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Linear announced **$50M Series C funding** on July 10, 2025, at **$500M valuation** (up from $200M in 2023). Led by Sequoi...

When the week drains your dopamine, weekends can become recovery missions rather than rest. Borrow ideas from behavioural science to restore energy without abandoning responsibilities. ## Map...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Alignment **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 12 July 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Chief of Staff, Chaos Council]...

Retake season can feel like déjà vu with higher stakes. This plan combines environment tweaks, accountability, and AI support so revision becomes less overwhelming. ## Reset Your Study Zone...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 8 July 2025 You've filmed six takes of the same intro because you keep forgetting your hook. The B-roll...

The newborn season magnifies executive dysfunction: sleep deprivation, irregular meals, and relentless admin. Build survival systems that work with neurodivergent brains by applying just-enough struc...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Alignment **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 6 July 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Chief of Staff, Chaos] **Wh...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Comparison **By Max Beech, Head of Content** I tested **12 Pomodoro timer apps** over 6 months (30 days each minimum). Tracked focus quality, completion rates, an...

University timetables are elastic. Seminars pile into the same week assignments fall due, societies tug your attention, and sleep drops to the bottom of the list. The latest Student Academic Experien...

Sunday evenings often trigger the “Sunday scaries”—a spike in anticipatory anxiety before the workweek. Instead of doomscrolling, run a guided check-in with Chaos that blends grounding rituals, pract...

Forgetfulness often feels random, yet memory improves when cues, context, and review cycles work together. This seven-day bootcamp layers evidence-backed techniques with Chaos automations so you can...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Adoption **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 29 June 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Hardware Partnerships Lead, Chaos Council]...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 28 June 2025 Creative work pays unpredictably. Three client payments land in one week, then nothing for...

Hybrid work should unlock flexibility, yet time-blindness can turn it into a guessing game of whether everyone will arrive. The solution lies in collective scaffolding—rituals, visual cues, and autom...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 25 June 2025 ClickUp bills itself as "one app to replace them all"—tasks, docs, spreadsheets, chat, goals...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Retention **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 24 June 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Behavioural Scientist, Chaos Council]...

Structured and Chaos both promise calmer schedules, yet they approach planning from opposite angles. Structured delivers a clean timeline interface, while Chaos acts like a proactive assistant that n...

When ADHD inertia settles in, forcing yourself through a massive task list rarely works. The micro-wins method reframes progress as short, high-impact actions supported by sensory cues and contextual...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Notion is **cloud-first collaboration**—databases, wikis, team workspaces, all in beautiful interface. Obsidian is **lo...

Burnout rarely arrives overnight. For neurodivergent people, the slide can be faster because masking, sensory overload, and admin debt pile up quietly. World Health Organization guidance frames burno...

Ever looked up from a “quick” email reply only to realise a meeting started ten minutes ago? That’s time blindness in action. Conventional alarms rarely fix it because they yell at you when you still...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 15 June 2025 Cal Newport's *Deep Work* (2016) argued: The ability to focus without distraction on cognit...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Implementation **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 15 June 2025 Freelance income arrives in waves. Three invoices clear in a week, then nothing for a fortn...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 12 June 2025 UK remote work stabilised in 2024 after years of pandemic-driven volatility. 42% of British workers...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 12 June 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Director of Product Marketing, Chaos]...

**Category:** Reviews · **Stage:** Consideration **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 30 May 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Knowledge Systems Lead, Chaos]...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Trend **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 29 May 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Apple Platform Specialist] **Why i...

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Awareness **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 22 May 2025 California's SB 1047, signed into law in September 2024, requires developers of large AI models to i...

**Category:** Academy · **Stage:** Decision **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 20 May 2025 Task lists tell you **what** to do. Time-blocking tells you **when** to do it. Most productivity...

**Category:** Athenic · **Stage:** Update **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 15 May 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Head of Product, Chaos] **Why...

The Eisenhower Matrix was designed for 1950s military decisions, not 2025's interrupt-driven, collaborative knowledge work. Analysis reveals its three fatal flaws and presents five evidence-backed alternatives.

After six months optimizing a Notion-based Second Brain, I realized I'd spent 103 hours managing information but couldn't name a single project it accelerated. The perfect irony: my note-taking system had become a procrastination engine.

**Category:** News · **Stage:** Trend **By Max Beech, Head of Content** Updated 2 March 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Collaboration Lead] **Why it matt...

Original research analyzing 89 AI productivity tools reveals a stark paradox: venture capital investment hit £142M in 2024 (+340% YoY), yet active user retention dropped 23% quarter-over-quarter.

After burning out twice trying to force neurotypical productivity systems, I built an ADHD-specific freelance framework that's kept me deadline-perfect for 18 months across 6 concurrent clients and 40 active tasks. Here's exactly how it works.

Most retrospectives produce polite comments, safe observations, and action items that never get done—because they're optimised for comfort, not truth. After facilitating 200+ retros, here's the 3 Questions Framework that actually drives change.

After teaching prompt engineering to 2,000+ professionals over 18 months, I've watched half the curriculum become obsolete—not in years, but months. Here's what's dying, what's replacing it, and why 'prompt engineer' as a standalone role won't exist by 2026.

Over six months, I systematically automated 70% of my administrative work using AI agents—saving 11 hours per week. But the results weren't what I expected: some 'obvious' automations failed miserably whilst boring workflows succeeded beyond prediction.

After two years using AI writing assistants daily, I've noticed my first drafts getting lazier, my vocabulary narrowing, and my willingness to wrestle with complex ideas declining. Here's the paradox: tools that make us faster writers may make us worse writers—and how to use them anyway.

After subscribing to every 'best AI productivity tool'—Notion AI, Motion, Superhuman, and 12 others—my monthly bill hit £4,127. After a brutal ROI analysis, I rebuilt for £12/month. Here's what actually matters.

AI tools promised to eliminate busywork so we could focus on meaningful work. Instead, they created a new category of sophisticated procrastination—endlessly optimising prompts, reorganising AI-generated outlines, refining chatbot conversations. Activity that feels productive but avoids the actual hard work.

The 'ADHD tax' refers to the hidden financial costs of executive dysfunction: late fees, impulse purchases, forgotten subscriptions, rushed orders. After tracking every ADHD-related expense for 12 months, my personal tax totalled £12,847—nearly 23% of my income.

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria makes workplace boundaries feel impossible. These 15 pre-written scripts let you decline work, push back on deadlines, and set limits without the emotional hijack that RSD creates.

Time blindness—the neurological inability to perceive time passage—isn't poor planning or disrespect. Brain imaging shows ADHD individuals underestimate time intervals by 30-40%. Here's the science and what actually helps.

Your smartphone pings. A notification bubble appears on your computer screen. Your smartwatch buzzes with an urgent update about your friend's lunch. In the time it took you to read this paragraph, y...

ADHD working memory is measurably impaired—approximately 30% below neurotypical average. AI tools function as 'cognitive prosthetics': external working memory that compensates for internal deficits. Here's the complete system I use every day.

Working from home was supposed to eliminate distractions and boost productivity. No more noisy coworkers, no more pointless meetings, no more commute stress. Just you, your laptop, and unlimited pote...

The first 90 days as a junior developer combine peak imposter syndrome, information firehose, and zero framework for what 'good enough' looks like. After nearly quitting three times, here's the survival system that worked.

Managing 50+ feature documentation requests monthly across engineering, product, and support teams requires system, not heroics. Here's the complete workflow that reduced my average doc cycle time from 8 days to 3 days whilst maintaining quality.

AI meeting assistants promise to transcribe, summarize, and extract action items automatically. I ran the same 10 meetings through Otter, Fireflies, and Grain simultaneously for a month. Here's which one actually delivers.

After 23 hybrid conferences ranging from 300 to 2,000 attendees, I've systematised everything into a 147-item checklist across 6 phases. Here's the complete framework for coordinating two parallel experiences without compromising either.

Linear launched AI features in October 2024 without fanfare. No flashy demo. No 'AI-powered!' marketing. Just thoughtful automation that makes issue tracking genuinely faster. The approach reveals what AI in productivity tools should actually look like.

Restaurant management is firefighting unless you systematise it. Here's the 7-minute morning dashboard that catches 90% of daily crises before they happen, built for the 60-hour-week reality of running a 120-seat operation.

Context switching feels harmless: just a quick Slack check, a brief email scan, a fast tab switch. But I tracked every single switch for 30 days and calculated the real cost. The annual productivity loss: equivalent to £18,247 in salary for work I didn't accomplish.

Clinical documentation consumes 30-40% of therapist time, contributing to burnout. This HIPAA-compliant workflow reduces 30-minute session notes to 8 minutes using templated real-time documentation, encrypted storage, and batch processing—without compromising compliance or clinical quality.

Todoist has 15 million users and a decade of refinement. Chaos is the AI-first newcomer. I used both exclusively for 30 days each, tracked time saved, tasks completed, and stress levels. Here's the feature-by-feature breakdown and honest recommendation for which to choose.

The Pomodoro Technique promises focus through 25-minute work blocks. But standard timers don't account for ADHD time blindness, hyperfocus, or executive dysfunction. I tested 12 apps to find which ones actually work for neurodivergent brains.

The personal knowledge management wars pit three philosophies against each other: Notion's all-in-one databases, Obsidian's local-first markdown, and Roam's bidirectional linking. I migrated 10,000 notes to each and used them exclusively for 6 weeks. Here's the definitive comparison for 2025.

Grammarly started as a grammar checker. Over 15 years, it evolved into an AI writing assistant that 30 million people use daily. Its October 2024 rebrand positions it as 'AI communication assistant.' Here's what the pivot reveals about the future of writing tools.

Our 30-person remote startup switched between Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Discord over 9 months. Each platform has genuine strengths for different team cultures. Here's the data on integrations, search, video calls, and the surprising winner for voice-first communication.

Superhuman costs £240/year. Hey costs £99/year. Gmail is free. I tracked email time across all three for 30 days each with Toggl. The data shows whether premium email clients deliver measurable ROI—and for whom the investment makes sense.

I spent 40 hours writing comprehensive API documentation. Usage analytics showed 3% of developers read past the introduction. The problem wasn't the developers—it was my documentation. Here's what I learned about writing docs people actually use.

UK remote work in 2025 tells a story of permanent transformation: 44% fully remote, 38% hybrid, and a four-day week movement gaining momentum. This comprehensive analysis draws on ONS data, academic studies, and pilot programme results to map where British work is heading.

In November 2023, OpenAI's board fired Sam Altman, 700 employees threatened to quit, Microsoft intervened, and Altman returned five days later. The crisis exposed fundamental tensions between AI safety governance and commercial pressure that will shape AI development for decades.

Perplexity AI launched its Enterprise tier in September 2024, targeting businesses with AI-powered search that replaces traditional knowledge management. This isn't just another ChatGPT competitor—it's a fundamental shift in how organisations handle internal knowledge.

The productivity SaaS landscape is consolidating rapidly. Notion absorbs wikis, databases, and project management. Microsoft 365 absorbs collaboration and communication. AI-native platforms absorb task, calendar, and planning. Here's the M&A data, platform strategies, and predictions for what survives.

Most one-on-ones are performance theatre: scripted check-ins where both parties recite safe talking points. After running 300+ one-on-ones as a manager and experiencing hundreds as a report, I've identified what separates meaningful conversations from calendar obligations.

The EU AI Act came into effect in 2025, creating the world's first comprehensive AI regulation. Most productivity tools fall into the 'limited risk' category with transparency requirements. Here's what changed, what's required, and how to evaluate AI-powered tools for compliance.

Figma launched AI features in June 2024: auto-layout suggestions, content generation, and design system matching. Six months later, designers are split. Some call it transformative. Others call it 'design by committee, automated.' Both are right.

The Weekly Review is GTD's most powerful component—and its most skipped. Here's a 45-minute time-boxed version with automation, psychological reframes, and data showing why consistent reviewers succeed where others abandon the system.

Some days, typing feels cognitively impossible. ADHD, dysgraphia, or simple exhaustion make the keyboard your enemy. Voice notes bypass the block entirely. I tested 8 apps to find which ones actually work for thought capture when writing doesn't.

Zapier dominated workflow automation for a decade. But in 2024, developers and power users are migrating en masse to Make and n8n. The shift isn't just about pricing—it's about control, complexity, and what 'no-code' actually means.

Email volume hasn't decreased—average knowledge workers receive 120+ messages daily—but communication has fragmented across Slack, Teams, Discord, and LinkedIn. The 2025 solution isn't Inbox Zero; it's Communication Zero across all channels with ruthless triage, time-blocking, and the Yesterday Zero goal.

Zapier costs £600+/year for complex workflows and still can't handle everything. Building a personal API—a lightweight Node.js server connecting apps via native APIs—gives unlimited flexibility for £0 hosting cost. Here's the complete technical guide with working code examples.

Deep work requires uninterrupted blocks of time. But what if your job is interruptions? Customer support, sales, operations, or incident response roles demand availability. Here's how to protect focus time in roles explicitly designed around responsiveness.

Markdown is the lingua franca of plaintext writing. But which editor actually makes writing in Markdown feel natural? I tested 8 editors across 60 days of real writing work. Here's what worked.

Standard habit trackers assume consistency, daily routines, and stable motivation. Neurodivergent brains offer none of these. I tested 7 habit trackers to find which ones actually work when your brain resists habits entirely.

I forgot a potential investor's name 30 seconds after they introduced themselves. Not because I didn't care—because my ADHD working memory can't hold new information whilst simultaneously appearing socially competent. Here's the personal CRM system I built to compensate.

Life feels chaotic when everything around you is scattered. Your desk is covered with sticky notes, your phone buzzes with forgotten reminders, and that important document? It's somewhere in the pile...

Your brain is phenomenal at making connections, solving problems, and coming up with creative ideas. But it's terrible at remembering where you put that brilliant insight from three weeks ago or keep...

In today's fast-paced world, managing time effectively can make all the difference. The Chaos app offers an intuitive way to organize your day using time blocking. Here's a simple guide to get starte...