Ultra Successful Time Managment System
Eben Pagan teaches the 60-60-30 solution for the first 2.5 hours of your workday: two 50-minute focused sessions followed by a 30-minute break. This time management system helps entrepreneurs maximize productivity by focusing on their biggest opportunities without distraction.
Teachings 7
Implement the 60-60-30 solution during the first 2.5 hours of your workday for maximum productivity leverage
The system consists of two 50-minute focused work blocks followed by a 30-minute break, specifically scheduled at the beginning of your workday when your energy is highest
Use a physical timer to train yourself in the rhythm of focused work blocks for the first 30-90 days
Eben recommends getting a kitchen timer or digital timer (he mentions having 3-4 different timers around his workspace and paying $10 for one with a keypad)
Focus your first two 50-minute chunks on your biggest money-making opportunities
Eben specifically states to 'work on your biggest opportunities work on the thing that makes you the most money work on whatever it is that will produce the most results in your business'
Avoid checking email and voicemail at the start of your workday to prevent reactive mode
Eben explains that checking email and messages 'puts you in reactive mode it gets you reacting to other people's agendas and what they want from you'
Plan your meals in advance for your 30-minute break to maintain energy levels
Eben recommends eating 'a really strong healthy meal at the beginning of the day in your personal success ritual' and planning 'your second meal for your 30 minute break' with food 'as close to raw organic and highly nutritious as possible'
Start with just the first 2.5 hours rather than changing your entire day to build the habit successfully
Eben explains 'we don't want to change too much we don't want to try and do your whole day this way and mess up everything that you do we just want to get it in for the first session of the day'
Complete a 90-120 minute personal success ritual before starting your focused work blocks
Eben mentions having '90 minutes to 120 Minutes of making yourself strong and powerful and focused and clear so when you come to work whether that's at home or in an office when you arrive you could sit down and you can get right into your focused blocks'
Perspectives 1
Think of the timer as freeing rather than constraining to eliminate distraction and multitasking
Eben teaches to 'think of it as something that's freeing you that when you sit down you're going to work for 50 minutes on something... you're free for that 50 minutes to just focus on that one opportunity without distraction without interruption and without multitasking'
Quotable Moments 3
“you can accomplish more in those few hours than most people accomplish all day”
— Eben Pagan“think of it as something that's freeing you”
— Eben Pagan“work on your biggest opportunities work on the thing that makes you the most money”
— Eben Pagan
How to implement the 60-60-30 productivity system
A step-by-step guide to installing Eben Pagan's time management system into the first 2.5 hours of your workday
- 1
Schedule the time block
Plan to use the first 2.5 hours of every workday for the 60-60-30 solution - two 50-minute work sessions plus one 30-minute break.
- 2
Get a timer
Purchase a kitchen timer or digital timer (can be as simple as a few dollars from a drugstore or $10 for a digital keypad version).
- 3
Plan your focus areas
Identify your biggest opportunities - the activities that make you the most money and produce the most results in your business.
- 4
Plan your break meal
Prepare or plan a healthy, nutritious meal for your 30-minute break (ideally raw, organic, and highly nutritious).
- 5
Complete morning ritual first
Do your 90-120 minute personal success ritual before starting work to arrive strong, powerful, focused and clear.
- 6
Avoid reactive mode
Don't check email or voicemail before starting your focused blocks - save these reactive tasks for after your 2.5 hour focused session.
Questions Answered
What is the 60-60-30 time management system
“we're just going to spend the first two and a half hours of the day working this way because this is a new ritual a new routine”
— Eben Pagan▶ 0:31
The 60-60-30 system involves working two 50-minute focused blocks followed by a 30-minute break during the first 2.5 hours of your workday, focusing on your biggest money-making opportunities.
Why should I use a timer for productivity
“think of it as something that's freeing you that when you sit down you're going to work for 50 minutes on something... you're free for that 50 minutes to just focus on that one opportunity without distraction”
— Eben Pagan▶ 1:32
A timer helps train you in the rhythm of focused work and prevents distraction. Think of it as freeing rather than constraining - it gives you permission to focus on one thing for 50 minutes without interruption.
Should I check email first thing in the morning
“I recommend that you don't check your email and voicemail messages and do all that stuff because what that does is it puts you in reactive mode it gets you reacting to other other people's agendas”
— Eben Pagan▶ 3:08
No, avoid checking email and voicemail at the start of your workday. This puts you in reactive mode where you respond to other people's agendas instead of focusing on your biggest opportunities.
What should I focus on during my first work blocks
“work on your biggest opportunities work on the thing that makes you the most money work on whatever it is that uh will you know produce the most results in your business”
— Eben Pagan▶ 1:01
Focus on your biggest opportunities - the things that make you the most money and will produce the most results in your business. Use these high-energy morning hours for your highest-leverage activities.
How long should I try the 60-60-30 system before changing my whole day
“we don't want to change too much we don't want to try and do your whole day this way and mess up everything that you do we just want to get it in for the first session of the day”
— Eben Pagan▶ 0:31
Start with just the first 2.5 hours of your workday rather than changing everything at once. This prevents overwhelming yourself and helps you build the habit successfully before expanding.
Summary
Installing the 60-60-30 Solution into Your Workday
Eben introduces the core exercise of implementing two 50-minute focused work sessions followed by a 30-minute break during the first 2.5 hours of your workday. He emphasizes starting small with just this time block rather than changing your entire day at once.
The Importance of Using a Physical Timer
The timer serves as both a training tool and a psychological reframe - instead of feeling constrained, it creates freedom to focus without distraction. Eben recommends using a timer for the first 30-90 days to establish the rhythm, sharing his own practice of keeping multiple timers accessible.
Planning Your Focus and Avoiding Reactive Mode
The key is dedicating those first two work blocks to your biggest money-making opportunities while avoiding email and messages that put you in reactive mode. Combined with proper meal planning and a morning success ritual, this system allows you to accomplish more in a few hours than most people do all day.
Counterpoint
Claim: “Using a timer feels constraining and restrictive”
Reframe: A timer is actually freeing because it gives you permission to focus on one thing without distraction
Eben explains that the timer frees you 'for that 50 minutes to just focus on that one opportunity without distraction without interruption and without multitasking without doing any of that stuff that wastes your time'
Claim: “Check email and messages first thing to stay on top of everything”
Reframe: Avoid email and voicemail at the start of your day to prevent reactive mode
Checking messages 'puts you in reactive mode it gets you reacting to other people's agendas and what they want from you' instead of focusing on your biggest opportunities
Key Points 8
Implement the 60-60-30 solution during the first 2.5 hours of your workday for maximum productivity leverage
Use a physical timer to train yourself in the rhythm of focused work blocks for the first 30-90 days
▶ 1:01Focus your first two 50-minute chunks on your biggest money-making opportunities
▶ 1:01Avoid checking email and voicemail at the start of your workday to prevent reactive mode
▶ 3:08Plan your meals in advance for your 30-minute break to maintain energy levels
▶ 2:37Start with just the first 2.5 hours rather than changing your entire day to build the habit successfully
▶ 0:31Complete a 90-120 minute personal success ritual before starting your focused work blocks
▶ 3:08Think of the timer as freeing rather than constraining to eliminate distraction and multitasking
▶ 1:32Related Content
Right Focus Business
The seven-step system Eben Pagan used to build a multi-million dollar business by focusing on high-value activities instead of getting trapped in constant distractions.
How To Energize Your Life Benefit From Stress
Learn how to turn stress into fuel for success by mastering the hidden energy cycles that separate peak performers from those who burn out.
Getting Right Focus Business
The productivity secrets that helped Eben build a multi-million dollar business by focusing only on the 20% of activities that create 80-90% of the value.
Productivity Time Management Tips
Discover why multitasking is destroying your productivity and learn the neuroscience-backed system Eben uses to maintain laser focus in a virtual business environment.
Ebens Favorite Business Tools
The counterintuitive business principles that separate dramatically successful entrepreneurs from everyone else.
Routine Rituals Really Work
Why the most successful entrepreneurs are 'creatures of habit' who ritualize their highest-value activities instead of relying on willpower and memory.
Topics
Business Frameworks
Common Mistakes