taskott
The Anchor Task
The anchor task is a daily focus mechanism. Each morning, you select your single most important task. Taskott then structures your day around making sure it gets done.
The idea
Most people start their day reacting — checking email, responding to messages, putting out fires. By the time they get to their most important work, their energy and willpower are depleted.
The anchor task flips this. You pick your highest-leverage task first thing, and Taskott creates a structured window to make sure it gets your best focus.
How it works
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Select your anchor during Dailies
Each morning, the Dailies flow asks you to choose one task as your anchor for the day. This should be the task that, if you completed nothing else today, would make the day a success.
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45-minute clear-mind window
After selecting your anchor, you get a 45-minute window where you're free to work on anything — quick tasks, emails, small items. This clears your mental queue so you can approach the anchor with a clear head.
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Anchor-locked mode
After the 45-minute window, Taskott enters anchor-locked mode. The app nudges you to focus exclusively on your anchor task until one of two things happens:
- You complete the anchor task
- You've logged 120 minutes of focused time on it
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Unlocked for the rest of the day
Once your anchor is complete or you've hit 120 minutes, you're free to work on any remaining sprint tasks for the rest of the day.
Why 45 minutes + 120 minutes?
45-minute clear-mind window: Research shows that unresolved small tasks create cognitive load ("Zeigarnik effect"). The clear-mind window lets you close open loops before deep work.
120-minute cap: This prevents a single hard task from consuming your entire day. Two hours of focused effort is substantial. If the task isn't done by then, you've made significant progress and can continue later without guilt.
Choosing a good anchor
Not every task makes a good anchor. Here's what to look for:
| Good anchor | Not a good anchor |
|---|---|
| High value, requires deep thought | Quick admin tasks (< 15 min) |
| Moves a P1 goal forward significantly | Tasks you could do on autopilot |
| You've been procrastinating on it | Vague tasks without clear next steps |
| Requires 30-120 minutes of focus | Tasks that depend on other people's input |
What if I can't work on my anchor?
Life happens. If you have back-to-back meetings or an emergency, you're not penalized. The anchor system is a nudge, not a prison. You can:
- Log a distraction and come back to the anchor later
- Skip the anchor for the day (it stays in your sprint)
- Choose a different anchor if priorities shift
The goal is to build a habit of intentional daily focus, not to rigidly follow rules. Over time, the anchor becomes second nature — you'll start each day knowing exactly what matters most.