The scoring formula (simple, but honest)

Your Productivity Score (0–100) is a weighted blend of three subscores: Capacity, Focus Protection, and Scope Fit. Each subscore ranges from 0–100, then we compute a weighted average.

• Time capacity: work hours minus meetings/admin (with a safety buffer).
• Recovery capacity: sleep hours (sweet spot around 7–8) and current energy.

• Distraction risk: higher distraction risk reduces focus score (inverted).
• Meeting load: more meetings creates context switching and reduces focus blocks.
• Admin load: small admin is normal; heavy admin lowers deep work odds.

• Task load: too many tasks increases fragmentation.
• Priority clarity: a small number of must-do items improves completion.
• Break planning: breaks protect consistency (especially on low-energy days).

• Capacity: 40%
• Focus protection: 35%
• Scope fit: 25%

A plan you can actually follow

The planner produces:

• 0–100 Productivity Score (updates instantly).
• Recommended deep-work blocks based on capacity and focus conditions.
• Task budgeting (how many tasks to attempt vs defer).
• Break schedule matched to your day type and energy.
• 3–5 next steps that raise your score the fastest.

Use it daily, or run it weekly to discover the patterns that consistently improve your “doable day.”

Three realistic scenarios

You set: 8 work hours, 7.5 sleep, energy 7/10, focus 7/10, distraction risk 3/10, meetings 1 hour, admin 0.5 hours, 6 tasks, priorities 3, breaks 35 minutes. The planner recommends two 90-minute deep work blocks plus a short admin batch and a buffer. Your score tends to land in the 80–95 range because the plan protects attention and leaves space.

You set: 9 work hours, 6 sleep, energy 6/10, focus 5/10, distraction risk 6/10, meetings 5 hours, admin 1.5 hours, 10 tasks, priorities 4, breaks 20 minutes. The planner will usually suggest one short deep work block (or none), and it will tell you to reduce tasks and batch admin. Score often lands around 45–65 because the schedule is fragmented.

You set: 6 work hours, 5.5 sleep, energy 3/10, focus 4/10, distraction risk 4/10, meetings 1 hour, admin 1 hour, 5 tasks, priorities 2, breaks 60 minutes. The planner recommends a gentle plan with shorter work blocks, more breaks, and fewer priorities. Your score can still be 60–75 because scope is reasonable.

Raise your score with tiny edits

• Drop one priority: going from 4 → 3 priorities often adds 5–12 points.
• Add 20–40 minutes of breaks: boosts consistency on low-energy days.
• Reduce distractions by 2 points: (phone away + tabs closed) can add 5–10 points.
• Batch admin: turn scattered admin into one block.
• Convert meetings: move 1 meeting to async notes if possible.

The highest ROI move is usually scope reduction — fewer must-do items, more follow-through.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this scientifically validated?

  No. It’s a practical planning model that uses common-sense signals: time, energy, attention, and scope. It’s designed for usefulness, not clinical measurement.

• Why do “too many tasks” lower the score?

  Because tasks create context switching. When you plan 15 tasks, the plan often becomes a list of wishes. Fewer tasks with clear priorities typically produces more output and less stress.

• What’s a good number of priorities?

  Usually 2–3. If everything is a priority, nothing is. On a meeting-heavy day, 1–2 is often enough.

• Should I always maximize deep work hours?

  No. Deep work is powerful but expensive. The planner recommends deep work based on capacity and focus conditions. On low-energy or meeting-heavy days, shorter blocks may be better.

• Does the tool store my data?

  No. Everything runs in your browser. If you press “Save,” it stores a small snapshot locally on this device only.

• What if my score is low?

  Treat it as a signal to edit the plan: shrink priorities, add breaks, reduce distractions, and simplify. A low score is not a label — it’s a cue for a gentler schedule.

Why these inputs work (1500–2000 words, simplified)

Productivity is often described as “getting more done,” but most people don’t fail because they lack effort. They fail because the day plan ignores human limits. A plan can look great on paper and still collapse if it assumes perfect focus, infinite energy, and zero interruptions. That’s why this Productivity Planner starts with capacity.

Capacity is your usable fuel for the day. The simplest representation is time: how many hours are realistically available. But time alone is misleading. Two people can have the same eight-hour window and produce wildly different results because the quality of those hours differs. Sleep and energy are a shorthand for that quality. If you slept 5 hours, your brain is doing extra work just to stay afloat. The tool does not shame you for that — it adjusts the plan and recommends more breaks and fewer priorities, because that’s what works.

Next is focus protection. Focus is not a personality trait — it is a temporary state. The two biggest enemies of focus are distractions and fragmentation. Distractions are obvious (phone, notifications, open tabs), while fragmentation is subtle (meetings sprinkled everywhere, constant admin interrupts, switching tasks every 10 minutes). This planner treats meetings and admin as “focus tax” because they split your attention into smaller and smaller pieces. That doesn’t mean meetings are bad; it means they have a cost.

Finally, the planner checks scope fit. Humans love optimistic lists. We also underestimate hidden work: messaging, waiting, clarifying, reviewing, and re-doing. When you plan too many tasks, you create a fragile plan where one interruption breaks everything. Scope fit asks: are your planned tasks and priorities compatible with your capacity? If not, the best move is usually to reduce scope — not to push harder.

The 0–100 score is simply a way to make tradeoffs visible. If you increase meetings from 1 hour to 5 hours, the score drops because the planner expects fewer deep work blocks. If you reduce distraction risk by 2 points, the score rises because your deep work becomes more likely. If you raise priorities from 3 to 6, the score drops because the plan becomes unrealistic. These are not moral judgments — they’re forecasts.

The schedule that appears in the results is built around a few principles: (1) reserve your best attention for your most important work, (2) batch low-focus work together, (3) add buffers so the plan survives reality, and (4) include breaks so your brain stays available. The planner does not assume you can deep work for five straight hours. It recommends 60–120 minute blocks with recovery.

If you want to use this tool as a “daily habit,” try this routine: First, set sleep and energy honestly. Second, set meetings and admin to what you already have on the calendar. Third, choose 2–3 priorities. Fourth, set tasks to match those priorities — and keep tasks small enough to finish. Fifth, adjust distraction risk. If it is high, consider “designing” your environment (phone away, do-not-disturb, one-tab rule). Then press Save once a day. After a week, you’ll have a record of what kinds of days create the best plans.

Over time, this becomes a lightweight feedback loop. When you notice that your highest-scoring days share the same traits (good sleep, low meetings, clear priorities), you can start shaping your weeks around those traits — by grouping meetings, scheduling deep work in the morning, or protecting a “deep work day.” That’s the real benefit: not the number, but the clarity.

This tool is for planning and educational purposes. It does not provide medical advice. If you’re experiencing persistent difficulty focusing, severe fatigue, or distress, consider talking with a qualified professional.

Make productivity boring (in a good way)

• 3 priorities max (or fewer on meeting days).
• 2 protected focus blocks (or one short block if meetings dominate).
• 1 admin batch block so context switching stops leaking time.

Run the planner in the morning, and again after lunch if the day changes. You’ll feel calmer because the plan matches reality.