Archive for June, 2009

Are You Making Your Working Hours Count?

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

It’s no secret that most of us are working more than ever.

So with more of our time devoted to work, how do we make sure to maximize our time to leave hours in the day for the people and the things that truly matter to us?

I turned to Content and Process Consultant (and friend) Shawna James for advice. A newlywed, mother of two and start-up entrepreneur, Shawna has more than a full plate. And she is one of the most relaxed, at-ease people I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with. Why? Because she knows how to maximize her time, and how not to waste it.

In our 45-minute lunch together, Shawna gave me a series-worth of material; but today I want to zero in on one concept that Shawna has adopted from Internet Marketer Eben Pagan: Uninterrupted, focused time, or setting aside all distractions for the next 2, 3 or 4 hours and focusing solely on the one task at hand.

So maybe you’re saying: What a load of crap! I’m a multi-tasker! I can text, tweet, answer e-mails and churn out budget reports all at the same time!

And you may feel like you are doing it all, but how much are you really getting done during the day?

It’s almost like we feel guilty as a culture if we’re NOT doing everything at once…and to focus on one piece at a time is perceived as: You’re not busy enough. You’re lazy. You’re slow.

It’s time for a different mindset.

Shawna notes that every time we get interrupted it takes us about 20 minutes to get back into the swing/flow of the activity we were originally doing. So every time I check a voicemail or an e-mail or my Facebook wall, I’m knocked off my rhythm and essentially starting from scratch, sucking minutes, if not hours, from my day.

Need more proof? If you haven’t seen it already, check out Tim Ferriss’ brilliant write-up on how the Blackberry “kills productivity instead of increasing it.”

But what if I closed my office door, turned off (or ignored) all outside distractions, and just got down to the task at hand?

I’ve tried it for a day, and it’s changed my life. I quality-controlled a 2-hour video at work (getting through an entire 30-minute clip is unheard of, let alone 2 hours!). I hunkered down and finished a prep document I had to get done. How? Because I focused. (But trust me—I still fidgeted and squirmed; but I’m thinking this gets easier the more you do it.)

Now it’s your turn. Shawna offers a number of suggestions to ease into the focused-time dimension:

  1. Decide in advance how long of a period will be uninterrupted and honor it. You can start off slow (try 1 hour) but whatever it is, commit. Create a countdown for your time at http://www.online-stopwatch.com.
  2. Pretend it’s like a meeting with yourself—so no distractions! If it was a meeting with colleagues/potential clients/etc., you wouldn’t answer your phone or acknowledge other interruptions. Shut off your phone, e-mail, tweetdeck, whatever the heck it is that leads you astray. Put up a sign that says Do Not Disturb or Please come back at 3 p.m. (or whatever time you’ve decided on).
  3. No excuses. Thirty minutes into your one hour, don’t tell yourself you have to use the bathroom or get a glass of water. Take care of all that before you settle down.
  4. Don’t be afraid to ask for the time and communicate why you need it. Explain to your husband or girlfriend or best friend that calls every afternoon like clockwork why you aren’t picking up the phone between __ and __ p.m., and stress the importance of this time for you achieving the most out of your day.

So get moving—and get focused.

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