Every morning, 29-year-old Shailja Verma sits at her desk at 7 am sharp. A cup of green tea, phone on aeroplane mode, and browser tabs closed. For the next 90 minutes, she dives deep into writing her debut novel. No distractions, no multitasking. She has been doing this every day for nearly two months, and the results, she believes, are staggering.
“I’ve always struggled with follow-through. But this structure—this sacred, uninterrupted window—has changed the way I work and see myself,” she says. Reflecting on her journey so far, she smiles and continues, “The novel isn’t finished yet, but I’m not the same person who started it. I used to wait for motivation. Now, I create it.” Verma is practising the increasingly popular 90/90/1 productivity method, which prescribes spending the first 90 minutes of your day, for 90 days, focused on one high-impact goal.
Originally popularised by leadership expert Robin Sharma in his book, ‘The 5 AM Club’, the 90/90/1 rule is hailed as a simple but transformative way to achieve long-term goals in a distracted, over-stimulated world. According to trauma-informed life coach and corporate trainer Tanya Bhatia, the method works because it offers “an uncomplicated structure”, bringing discipline to the mind’s natural tendency to wander. “It leads to habit formation through consistent commitment. When people engage in 90 minutes of flow state daily, it builds momentum, enhances emotional regulation, and increases the likelihood of goal completion,” she says.
Counselling psychologist Amaresh Nath echoes this idea of flow and breaks down the cognitive and emotional benefits of the method. “Starting the day with focused, deliberate work primes the prefrontal cortex and sets up a rhythm of attention restoration,” he notes, “The clarity and immersion tip you into a flow state, and that 90-minute deep dive becomes a sacred window for self-affirmation.”
However, not everyone finds the 90/90/1 method immediately accessible. For 35-year-old Parth Mehta, a product manager and father of two, the idea initially felt idealistic. “I laughed the first time I heard of it. Ninety uninterrupted minutes? With kids and work calls, and life? No way,” he recalls. But instead of dismissing it outright, he adapted the framework to his suitability. His version: 45 minutes before work and 45 minutes post-dinner, with built-in flexibility. “Even when I can only manage 30 minutes, I show up. It reminds me that I still have control over my time,” he shares. Mehta's story highlights a core insight: the method works best when personalised.
Trauma-informed life coach Varsha Satheesh offers a powerful lens on why this personalisation is essential, especially for individuals with a history of emotional dysregulation or trauma. “Focus isn’t about willpower alone. For someone whose nervous system is stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn—focus feels like a battle,” she says. For such individuals, the 90/90/1 method can become more than a productivity hack; it becomes a healing ritual. However, the key is to start small, keep it doable and ease oneself into it.
“Our nervous system loves rhythm, repetition, and safety,” Varsha explains. “Doing the same meaningful action at the same time each day sends a message: it’s safe to commit. I can trust myself.” She emphasises that people who struggle with procrastination or inconsistency aren’t lazy but often dysregulated. “Instead of forcing discipline, you can try to heal into it.”
This softer, trauma-sensitive approach involves scaling down, starting with 20 or 30 minutes instead of 90, layering in grounding exercises, or simply taking up short chunks of the larger task at hand. Thereby turning rigid rules into flexible scaffolds.
Still, there are caveats. “If I treat the 90-minute window like a gladiator's death match daily, my nervous system taps out,” Nath warns. For people with ADHD, anxiety, or unpredictable life circumstances, strict routines can backfire, triggering shame spirals and feelings of inadequacy.
Bhatia also acknowledges this, noting that the method might not suit those dealing with emotionally unstable environments or rigid expectations from others. “If your environment is more powerful than your willpower, and your personal space isn’t respected, sticking to 90 minutes every day can feel impossible,” she warns.
Ultimately, the 90/90/1 rule is not a magic formula but a mindset framework. It invites people to reclaim attention in an era of fragmentation, to build trust with themselves, and to honour depth over distraction. Whether you’re a high-performing executive, a recovering perfectionist, or someone healing from burnout, the 90/90/1 rule offers a quiet rebellion against chaos—and a daily invitation to become the person you want to be.