J'adore: this focus method

Prepare to enter the Cave.

File this under things you didn’t necessarily ask for, but when I LOVE something, I want to shout about it from the Paris rooftops—be it a book, a podcast, or, in this week’s case, a community platform for productivity and focus. Welcome to “J’adore” a smidgen of declarations from moi about something I adore. (Like, for example, the fact that “adore” and “adore” mean the same thing in English and French. But no need to devote more than a sentence to that!)

If you’ve heard me talk about “the Cave” before, apologies cause things about to get dark up in here, and by dark I actually mean bright because, in fact, “Caveday” has become a light as far as my focus and productivity levels go. It’s hard to explain it properly in a non-clunky way, but here goes: Caveday is an online co-working session in which members work independently on Zoom—with their cameras on—for about 50-55 minutes. The goal? Accountability and purpose. Or, as Caveday likes to say: “Caveday is like a group fitness class … but for your work. A trained guide leads deep work sprints and energizing breaks.” You see faces from all over the world in various time zones — be it Bombay or Bangkok, Paris or Pittsburgh. Everyone is pursuing a different project, from writing books and weekly planning to web dev, apps, and graphic design.

I first learned about it from my friend Kara Cutruzzula who writes a daily-ish productivity newsletter called Brass Ring Daily, and joined in September 2020 to write a book proposal. I quickly realized that it takes me a fraction of the time to do something I think will take me ages. Turns out, all I have to do is silence my cell phone, turn off notifications, leave my camera on and “go into the cave.”

(And, yes, I finished that book proposal. I’ve been querying for an agent since early 2021, but that’s a story for another time!)

I loved Caveday so much, after about four months as a paying member I decided to inquire about leading caves myself and now it’s become a very lucrative, but personally rewarding side hustle. Not only do I get to do my own work while leading others, but it provides me with a sense of community that I had missed from working in an office. I see many of the same members in my caves and get to celebrate their work “wins” as they progress over time.

If any of this sounds like it may be beneficial to you, or you’re just curious, here are some discount codes to try it out:

• First month of membership for $1 CODE: “1STMONTHONE”

• Free Three-Sprint Cave: CODE: “TRYACAVE21”*

• 3 Months for $40: “THREE4ONE” (Valid on the Quarterly Plan)*

There are two types of “caves” — single sprint caves that last about 55 minutes; and 3-sprint caves that are about three hours long. For single sprint caves, new people come and go after each “sprint,” whereas with the 3-sprinters it’s the same group from start to finish. You can’t join in the middle, but you can, of course, leave whenever.

I hope to see you in the cave! Spelunking shoes and headlamps are not required. :)

*Disclosure: I will earn a very small “bonus” if you sign up using my referral link.