The method
The Ultradian Method
You cannot do your best thinking for eight straight hours. The method uses 75 minutes of focused work, followed by 15 minutes away from the screen.
Start with one Sprint. Or use the full six-sprint day. The room and timer are ready either way.
The battery
Your attention changes through the day. Your plan should change with it.
Adenosine builds in the brain while you are awake and contributes to the pressure to sleep. You also know the difference between a fresh morning hour and a tired afternoon one. Put demanding work such as writing, selling, or strategy in the hours when your attention is strongest. Save email, scheduling, and routine operations for lower-energy periods.
The goal is not to force every hour to feel the same. It is to give each kind of work a better place in the day.
Sleep scientist Nathaniel Kleitman documented a roughly 90-minute Basic Rest-Activity Cycle. The Ultradian Method uses that cycle as a practical structure for focused work and recovery. Read the science →
The day, in the open
The full eight-hour schedule.
Here are the numbers. Sprints 1, 2, and 4 include 75 minutes of focus. Sprints 3, 5, and 6 use 45-minute focus blocks. Every Sprint ends with 15 minutes of recovery, with lunch in the middle.
| Sprint | Starts | Block | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 8:00 AM | Revenue GenerationGenerative | 75 focus + 15 recovery = 90 total |
| 02 | 9:30 AM | Creative & StrategicGenerative | 75 focus + 15 recovery = 90 total |
| 03 | 11:00 AM | Revenue RhythmGenerative | 45 focus + 15 recovery = 60 total |
| · | 12:00 PM | LunchLunch | 30 min |
| 04 | 12:30 PM | AdministrativeTransactional | 75 focus + 15 recovery = 90 total |
| 05 | 2:00 PM | Field & DevelopmentGenerative | 45 focus + 15 recovery = 60 total |
| 06 | 3:00 PM | Close LoopsClose loops | 45 focus + 15 recovery = 60 total |
75+75+45+75+45+45 = 360 min. Six hours of focused work.
6 × 15 = 90 min of recovery, plus a 30-minute lunch.
360 + 90 + 30 = 480 min. Start at 8am and finish at 4pm.
75+75+45+45 = 240 min. Four hours are reserved for demanding work.
Why is Sprint 4 a long block after lunch?
Sprint 4 is reserved for routine, transactional work. A longer block gives you enough time to clear email, scheduling, and operations without spending your strongest hours on them.
A good schedule asks less from discipline because the work fits the hour.
Recovery
Recovery belongs on the schedule.
Take 15 minutes away from the screen. Move, get water, or step outside. The pause gives you a better chance of returning to the next Sprint with your attention intact.
Keep the phone away during recovery, too. Replacing one screen with another does not give your attention much of a break.
Focus · Mic muted
75 minutes of execution, then 15 minutes fully unplugged. One ultradian cycle.
Around the day
The work does not start when the timer starts.
Each day starts with a look at what happened yesterday. You choose the first Sprint. At night, a short text asks what you finished. Reply to it and Upsprint can check off the Commitment for you. The coach looks at your recent work before suggesting what gets your next 90 minutes.
The rooms work better when the planning is clear. See how the whole loop works →
Who built it
Built from 28 years of coaching.
I developed the Ultradian Method while helping people and teams protect time for their most important work. Upsprint puts that coaching structure into rooms you can join throughout the day.
The point is not to stay at your desk longer. It is to know which work deserves your best attention.
Try one room tomorrow.
Use the free week to find out whether quiet company helps you start and finish.
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