“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” — Greg McKeown
Personal Story:
Back when I was working as a police officer, I was also grinding through graduate school at night to earn my master’s degree. My days were stacked: long shifts, family responsibilities, then heading straight into evening classes. The hardest part wasn’t the intensity of the big things — it was the endless little things. Paperwork, phone calls, bills, errands — they leaked into every free pocket of time. I felt like I was constantly behind, and every small task stole focus from what really mattered.
Out of survival, I created what I called my “Admin Cage”: a fixed block where I dumped every boring, low-value task. Reports, emails, errands — they all went into the cage. Once I batched them, two things happened: my stress dropped, and my best hours finally went to the big moves that actually changed my life.
Related Study:
Psychologists have found that “attention residue” from task switching reduces performance by up to 40% (American Psychological Association). By caging admin tasks, you cut that cost dramatically.
Why it Works:
✅ Keeps boring tasks from bleeding into your best hours
✅ Eliminates attention residue from scattered switches
✅ Gives you a predictable time to “clear the decks”
✅ Frees mental space for the work that builds your future
Today’s Challenge:
Pick one Admin Cage block this week. For example:
Friday 3–5pm = cage all errands, calls, and bills
Daily 4–4:30pm = cage all email replies
Lock them in. No leaks.
Final Thought:
Focus isn’t just about what you choose to do — it’s about what you contain. Build an Admin Cage, and you’ll stop small tasks from nibbling away your best self.
Cage the small stuff, free the big moves, and keep stacking your 1%. — Benjamin F. Mink