Most of the productivity books are written for the entrepreneur or the boss but few offer help to our employees.
And for all of us, we know what needs to be done – in fact we have notebooks or software full of tasks and to do lists! And, most of the time, we know how to do the assigned tasks.
So, why is it such a struggle to manage those tasks to completion?
Sometimes we need a better system to capture and remind us of ALL our tasks at the right time. Sometimes we legitimately are waiting on input or approval from others to be able to proceed. If you are looking for a system, I still haven’t found one better than the system outlined by David Allen in his book Getting Things Done.
Sometimes, however, it isn’t our system but the environment in which we are trying to get our work done that is the issue.
Sometimes, however, it isn’t our system but the environment in which we are trying to get our work done that is the issue.
I mean both the physical environment, digital environment, as well as the environment of company culture and even our own mindset.
By now, most of us are aware of the Myth of Multitasking which is actually just task switching and can cost us 40% of our productive capacity. We also now know that even though we perceive a distraction as a momentary thing, a quick email can negatively impact our focus for up to a half-hour.
The result is that it takes us longer to do a task less well than we would have had we not been distracted. Each disruption not only increases the amount of time required to complete our work, but also negatively impacts its quality.
We don’t just lose time and productivity from task switching; we also become more forgetful, dumber, and, yep, more stressed out. Task switching can challenge our emotional wellbeing and mental health, as well as our physical safety and the safety of others—our patients, our passengers, our colleagues, and teammates.
Cary Lohrenz
The challenge is our brains are hard-wired to notice things that are different, unusual, or likely to need our attention. What started as a primitive survival instinct to notice what is out of the ordinary has been exploited by companies to grab our attention. We now live in a world of constant barrage of information, alerts, and distractions.
The pandemic and working from home also changed our work environment – often with the addition of family members on two legs and four to our new office, and some of whom had their own zoom classes going on that we may have needed to help monitor. We underestimated the impact that our physical environment has on our productivity.
We also need to take into consideration our work tasks and culture – do I have the ability to block time for deep work or am I a “front line” worker who protects others from the distraction of the phone ringing, people walking in the door, and constant emails?
If my job *is* dealing with all the distractions, how do I prioritize and manage larger projects?
Here are five strategies to improve focus so that you get the most important things done.
Know Your Priorities
When I worked at a restaurant in high school, I had the job of responding to each clients’ need in the moment (getting seated, getting a menu, water refills, extra condiments) as well as project “shift work” (clean the walk-in refrigerator, restock the station with supplies, fill the condiment bottles). Yes, that F was often silent. I had to finish my shift work before I could clock out. I usually got to work with plenty of time before the lunch or dinner rush started so I could get that work done without many interruptions. There was a natural ebb and flow to the chaos so that clear opportunities for focused work presented themselves.
How to identify and organize your priorities?
- At the start (or end) of each day, spend a few minutes making a plan.
- Review your list of projects and tasks and identify no more than three tasks to focus on.
- Use your calendar to time block dedicated time to work on just one task at a time and make sure each task has enough uninterrupted time devoted to it.
How to handle email
Now that email is a constant ‘round the clock presence, among all the other texts, tweets, calls, and interruptions, we have to carve out and stubbornly defend our deep work time. It takes an expert like Julie Morgenstern to remind us to Never Check Email In The Morning because most of us had naturally drifted into a state of constant hypervigilance, checking and rechecking email for 8 or more hours a day like a hockey goalie in the world’s longest game in which the other team is just taking shots on goal the whole time.
It really doesn’t matter if you check email first thing in the morning or not, what matters is that you don’t let distractions like email be the first thing you do if that means you never get to your deep focus work.
Don’t let distractions like email be the first thing you do if that means you never get to your deep focus work.
Break It Up
Break up your time blocks so that you aren’t working too long, past your point of productivity.
Some people love the Pomodoro Method which breaks work into 25 minute blocks with 5 minutes of a break in between. Personally, I find it takes me 15 minutes to get into a task so I need longer blocks to get productive, but that also means I sometimes need longer rest periods.
You don’t need to do only one thing during your time block, you can batch similar activities, like returning calls and replying to emails, into one session. You just want to keep the tasks similar enough that you don’t have to switch between how you are getting things done, or where you need to be in order to get the task done.
Conserve Energy
Not enough consideration is given to the amount of mental effort or energy it takes us to do different tasks.
Not only does the time of day matter, but so does the type of task. We each have our own innate conative style that tells us how much mental effort a task will take us.
Some of us thrive on research while others prefer to just get started. If you spend too much time out of your conative zone of genius, you will get tired much more quickly and likely feel frustrated or unfulfilled.
You can use the knowledge of your best time of day to either tackle the most important task or the task that requires the most energy and focus from you to accomplish.
Remove Temptation
We are far more likely to be successful if we create the conditions of success than if we try to power through. This is a core principle of Profit First, eating enough vegetables, and the bookkeeping ‘money dates’ I encourage people to have with themselves.
How to carve out space for Deep Work
- Gather all of the things you will need for your deep work.
- Turn off notifications.
- Shut the door or otherwise signal you aren’t available for a while.
- Don’t just take away all the distractions without adding in some of the things you love – good music, good light, comfortable clothing, full belly, big cup of something good, maybe even your favorite scented candle.
You may not be able to do all of those things especially in a cubicle or front desk, but make the time as inviting and comfortable as possible. I love putting on headphones and using Brain.fm to help me focus. That it doubles as a timer is a bonus!
Small Steps & Celebrations
Remember that habit building is a process and likely won’t happen overnight.
Check in with yourself about what strategies work well for you and what don’t so you can amplify the positive results and don’t forget to celebrate yourself!
Focus on your progress and forget perfectionism.
If you have trouble giving yourself compliments, ask others to tell you what they think you do particularly well or what they appreciate about you. Get used to hearing and saying nice things about yourself.
I’d love to hear what helps you be focused and productive, and inspires your team too! Drop comments below. We read and treasure each one.