EPISODE · Jun 1, 2026 · 38 MIN
Founder of Suka on Reclaiming Focus: The One Daily Habit That Quietly Changes Your Life - Steven Puri
from Hacks and Hobbies with Junaid Ahmed · host Junaid Ahmed
Short description If you keep waking up and losing the morning to scrolling, this episode is for you. Steven Puri — from IBM and Hollywood sets to building Suka — walks Junaid through the exact mental switches and tiny systems that turn distraction into sustained, creative output. This is not fluff about productivity hacks; it’s a candid, emotional conversation about intention, environment, and the quiet cost of “zero-effort dopamine.” In part two of our conversation, Steven gets tactical: how to define a single daily intention, time-block and time-box effectively, design your physical place for deep work, and use tech (without letting it own you). Practical, humane, and urgent — these are the moves you can test tomorrow that compound over a year. 5 takeaways Intention first: pick one thing each morning that will actually move you or your team forward — and protect your best brain time for it. Simplify to overcome overwhelm: hide the noise; surface the 3 tasks that matter and build momentum. Environment matters: dedicate a place for work so your brain learns to “enter focus” when you walk in. Block, time-box, repeat: treat deep work like a sacred meeting with yourself and limit time to beat Parkinson’s Law. Leverage tech, don’t bow to it: tools like Suka can block distractions, provide music and community, but only after you choose to use them intentionally. 0:00 — Opening & why this conversation matters: from IBM and Hollywood to Suka 2:23 — Start with intention: the single question you must ask each morning 7:28 — Why most people get focus wrong (procrastination vs. distraction) 11:16 — The “phone check” moment: a one-second pause that changes behavior 13:27 — Use place to train your mind: why moving rooms ruins deep work 20:36 — Steven’s top 3 daily techniques: intention, time-blocking, time-boxing 25:25 — Community & flow: why a productivity “run club” helps you actually ship Guest links Suka (product / try free for 7 days): https://suka.co Email (Steven Puri): [email protected] How to use this episode: Listen with a notebook. Pause at 2:23 and write your single intention for tomorrow. Block 60–90 minutes in your calendar and treat it like a meeting. Try one of Steven’s micro-experiments for a week (hide all but three tasks; time-box a blog post to 45 minutes; or put your phone in a different room and notice what happens). Small consistent changes here compound into creative freedom — and fewer nights feeling “I didn’t ship today.” 🎙 Wanna be a guest? Apply on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/hacksandhobbies📖 Home Studio resources: https://homestudiobook.com🔗 LI: https://linkedin.com/in/superjunaid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What this episode covers
Short description If you keep waking up and losing the morning to scrolling, this episode is for you. Steven Puri — from IBM and Hollywood sets to building Suka — walks Junaid through the exact mental switches and tiny systems that turn distraction into sustained, creative output. This is not fluff about productivity hacks; it’s a candid, emotional conversation about intention, environment, and the quiet cost of “zero-effort dopamine.” In part two of our conversation, Steven gets tactical: how to define a single daily intention, time-block and time-box effectively, design your physical place for deep work, and use tech (without letting it own you). Practical, humane, and urgent — these are the moves you can test tomorrow that compound over a year. 5 takeaways Intention first: pick one thing each morning that will actually move you or your team forward — and protect your best brain time for it. Simplify to overcome overwhelm: hide the noise; surface the 3 tasks that matter and build momentum. Environment matters: dedicate a place for work so your brain learns to “enter focus” when you walk in. Block, time-box, repeat: treat deep work like a sacred meeting with yourself and limit time to beat Parkinson’s Law. Leverage tech, don’t bow to it: tools like Suka can block distractions, provide music and community, but only after you choose to use them intentionally. 0:00 — Opening & why this conversation matters: from IBM and Hollywood to Suka 2:23 — Start with intention: the single question you must ask each morning 7:28 — Why most people get focus wrong (procrastination vs. distraction) 11:16 — The “phone check” moment: a one-second pause that changes behavior 13:27 — Use place to train your mind: why moving rooms ruins deep work 20:36 — Steven’s top 3 daily techniques: intention, time-blocking, time-boxing 25:25 — Community & flow: why a productivity “run club” helps you actually ship Guest links Suka (product / try free for 7 days): https://suka.co Email (Steven Puri): [email protected] How to use this episode: Listen with a notebook. Pause at 2:23 and write your single intention for tomorrow. Block 60–90 minutes in your calendar and treat it like a meeting. Try one of Steven’s micro-experiments for a week (hide all but three tasks; time-box a blog post to 45 minutes; or put your phone in a different room and notice what happens). Small consistent changes here compound into creative freedom — and fewer nights feeling “I didn’t ship today.”
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Founder of Suka on Reclaiming Focus: The One Daily Habit That Quietly Changes Your Life - Steven Puri
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