Futurist Amy Webb has led theFuture Today Institutesince today…was the future.

That sounds less profound than we hoped, but Webbs workisprofound.

Ive been working full-time as a quantitative futurist ever since.

I now teach foresight at NYUs Stern School of Business, and my students are incredibly bright and creative.

I also writeIm finishing my third book now.

Its a manifesto about how the Big Nine tech titans are shaping the future of AI.

Take us through a recent workday.

Then we mapped weak signalsissues that help us identify emerging changes on the horizon.

That was followed by intensive hands-on work.

The session lasted about seven hours.

I caught a red-eye home after we finished.

At the office: Im completing my next book.

Then from 4pm - 7pm Im in meetings and answering email.

How do you focus for 9 hours without breaks?

Turning off my phones and keeping social media and email locked away have meant a tremendous surge in productivity.

I dont believe in multitasking.

What apps, gadgets, or tools cant you live without?

I listen tobrown noiseon Spotify.

Its amazing how well it works.

I listen onJabra Elite 65tbluetooth noise cancelling earbuds.

When Im writing, I use theDesktop Curtainto block out all distractions.

For me,Tumi Sheppard Deluxe Brief Packis just right.

Whats your workspace setup like?

I have two monitorsone vertical, one horizontal.

All of my writing happens on the horizontal monitor.

My office is covered inIdea Paint.

We converted one entire wall, top to bottom, into a whiteboard surface.

Whats your best shortcut or life hack?

Take us through an interesting, unusual, or finicky process you have in place at work.

Our workdays are divided into 20-minute units, and we use math to set every part of our schedules.

We keep telephone calls/video calls to 1 unit, and most of our administrative meetings are 2 units.

Certain strategy work takes 12 units.

Weve found that blocking out the day in units has resulted in much better and more realistic time management.

The 20-minute system is something that I developed for myself in college.

Meetings that last an hour tend to include a lot of wasted, unproductive moments.

The 20-minute unit system is definitely an adjustment for people who work with me.

Our team is distributedwe work out of spaces in many different cities and dont have a central physical hub.

Collectively, we cant function without our director of operations, Cheryl Cooney.

She is the engine that keeps me, and the Future Today Institute, running.

She manages and executes all of the decisions that dont require my direct involvement.

How do you keep track of what you have to do?

We have a three-tiered system of delegation: immediate, the next few days, and longer-term.

We allocate in advance the number of units required to complete all of these tasks.

How do you recharge or take a break?

I break a sweat dailyusually spinning or jogging.

Paradoxically, wearing myself out exercising is the best way to recharge.

Whats your favorite side project?

Its set in the year 2031 and it stars Sean Penn and Natascha McElhone.

What are you currently reading, or what do you recommend?

I just finishedBorneby Jeff VanderMeer and am currently readingThe Powerby Naomi Alderman.

They are both terrific.

Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

Whats the best advice youve ever received?

My mentor, MJ Ryan, taught me to work incrementally.

Mountains are climbed by taking a series of steps.

Shes trained me to think about the present and future simultaneously.

Whats a problem youre still trying to solve?

America is a country of nowiststhats a problem I have yet to solve.

Answers have been lightly edited and links have been added.

Have someone you want to see featured, or questions you think we should ask?