Doing More by Doing Less
We’ve all seen the studies or read the headlines telling us that multitasking reduces productivity. We hear it, we understand it, and when we’re being honest with ourselves, we know it’s true. “There is just SO much to get done, and so little time to do it.” We’ve been saying that long enough. It’s time to move on.
If you do not believe the research, take it from a friend. That’s me, I’m the friend and I’m saying that you will get more done when you stop multi-tasking. I’m going to go one step further and assert that you may even gain time previously lost. What is the secret, you ask? It’s Focus Time. As the name suggests, I’m not only asking you to do one thing at a time, but I’m also asking that you schedule it.
Have I lost you? Did you stop reading so you could roll your eyes at me? You’re thinking that it’s easier to learn a foreign language than to find time in your calendar. Stick with me friends, we’re going to get through this together.
Give me a few minutes of your time, and I’ll give you everything you need to build Focus Time into your routine!
Let’s start at the beginning.
What is Focus Time?
Quite simply, it’s a distraction-free block of time dedicated to a specific task or reflection on a particular topic. If you’re a client of mine you’ve probably heard me say, “Know what you are going to do, before you sit down to do it.” I’m going to ‘yes, and’ my own advice to add, know WHEN you are going to do it.
What You are Going to do + When You are Going to do it = Focus time
Why should you do it?
Because like time, our engery is finite so we need to be good stewards and put it toward the things that matter most. This means identifying the next priority, then the next one and the one after that. This requires you to be thoughtful about how you determine your priorities and think through how they fit into the bigger picture that is your life.
How will you feel?
You know that little dopamine hit you get when you check something small off your list like, “Pick up milk?” Now think about the high you rode last time you completed a big project. That’s the spectrum of good feelings we’re talking about. Focus time can be used to clean out your inbox or finish a slide deck. You can use the time to prepare for a presentation so you walk in feeling confident and ready to go or use it to think through next year’s goals. It doesn’t have to be work related, I’m sure there is a closet in your house that could use your undivided attention. It feels like bringing order to the chaos and replacing swirl with direction.
What would change?
You will go from being reactive and constantly trying to catch up, to being proactive and the one driving your life forward. Your priorities become intentional and not incidental. While it might sound rigid, focus time allows you to be more flexible. When you know what needs to get done and how everything fits, you can more easily move the pieces around as priorities and timelines shift. It changes your locus of control.
Let’s Make it Personal
In going through the process of creating focus time with a client, I asked, “What could you do with the time you’ve regained?” This simple question brought her to tears. It immediately made her think of her toddler. She thought of picking him up early from daycare, being able to go to the park on a workday, and being able to put her phone away in the evenings. Pretty impactful stuff. What would you do with some extra time in your day?
Let’s Make it Real
You’ve heard all the reasons why you should create space for focus time, so let’s do it. Grab something to write with and let’s start brainstorming:
If you gave yourself one hour each week to focus or reflect, how would you use it?
What are the things that you just can’t seem to get ahead of?
What are the things you are reacting to that you would like to manage proactively?
What about your career? Are you in control or are you just going where it leads you?
Finances, travel, quarterly goals . . . all things that would benefit from some dedicated thought and focused attention.
Let’s Make it Happen
Go ahead and open your calendar.
Go for a quick win and find an hour this week you can block off.
Now look forward. Is there a recurring day/time to which you can commit?
Look at your existing commitments. Do you need to be in all those meetings or can they be a development opportunity for someone else?
Do you know how to easily silence your notifications?
What would need to happen in order for you to dedicate 3 or more hours each week to focus time?
The first task is to find the time, the harder task is to honor it.
I encourage you to take a moment and reflect on the ‘why, what, and how’ questions from above and think about the impact focus time could have in your life. Keep your thoughts close at hand and use them as an accountability tool so that when you start to stray from the path you can find your way back.
Reach out if you want to dig deeper into the challenges keeping you from creating focus time. You can set an appointment here for a discovery call.