How to crush a full day's work in two hours in a group full of strangers

No distractions. No social media. And you start at 7:30am.

- Lee Siew Hua

Do a full day's work in two uninterrupted hours, and crush your to-do list by 9:30am at a "Type-A Breakfast".

Zany idea, I thought, when my photographer friend Immanuel described how he often signed up on the Peatix platform to start work at 7:30am in a cafe, side-by-side with strangers deemed Type-A professionals and entrepreneurs. In two focused hours, he said, stuff got done.

I considered it. No distractions, no social media, no procrastination. Just silence, a cup of good coffee and the companionable energy of like-minded busy-bees, first thing in the morning.

So in early August, I took the plunge and signed up for my first Type-A Breakfast.

I was hopeful, since I love novel experiences and am on a constant quest to maximise my day. Besides, working in a cafe may be a nice change to my routine and, trained by the newsroom, I can work in all circumstances.

Still, there's always room for scepticism in a journalist's mind.

Before the weekly Wednesday event, I dutifully looked up the Type-A Breakfast template, which suggested prepping six tasks to accomplish in two hours.

The template also highlighted Pareto's Principle or the 80/20 rule — 80 per cent of our results will likely arise from 20 per cent of our efforts — and Parkinson's Law, in which work expands to fill the time allotted.

In that spirit, I identified the day's most consequential 20-per-cent work.

List made, I set my alarm, a little glumly, for 6am.

FIRST THING IN THE MORNING When I showed up the next day at Craftsmen Coffee in Clarke Quay Central, I found organiser Nicholas Gerard at his laptop, deep in work.

I apologised for being tardy—hardly Type A of me. Nicholas oriented this newcomer in hushed tones, offered the Wi-Fi password and answered newbie questions.

"Should I get breakfast now or later?" I ventured, wondering if my priorities were already misaligned. Regulars tend to order later, he responded gently.