In startups, fires never cease to burn. One of the most common mistakes is that on a day-to-day basis, people seem to have infinite things to do, yet weeks will go by and they don’t feel like they have accomplished anything. This is the result of getting bogged down with the small immediate things and losing track of the important long-term ones. We have to focus on the most important fires.

The Top Goal framework will help us fix this. At its core, it boils down to this: schedule two hours each day to work on your Top Goal only. And do this every single work day. Period. This Top Goal should be tied to an OKR.

The earlier in the day you schedule this Top Goal time, the better, so as to avoid other issues (and people) from pressing for your attention. There is also strong researched-backed evidence to show that we have more decision and thought-processing energy early in the day when our brain is freshly rested. Take advantage of this high-quality brain functioning by doing the important stuff first.

During this Top Goal time, do not respond to emails, texts, calls, and messages. Only work on your top priority during these two hours. The top priority should be tied to an OKR. If you follow this pattern each workday, you will achieve amazing things.