As the phenomenon of multitasking is slowly but surely vanishing away, the “Less is more” is starting to take the stage. One research after another proves that gaining focus and achieving flow in order to make progress and therefore get closer to achieving our goals…and dreams, is absolutely essential.
Still, we are seeing a common practice of writing endless to-do-lists, that give us a sense of being overwhelmed rather than the motivation and energy to actually complete them. A common practice of doing it all, combining private and professional assignments, getting into the octopus-like feeling of joggling way to many things at once. A common practice of feeling under-accomplished, frustrated and demotivated to restart and reengage.
But common practice is not always the smart practice, right?
To truly master your Self, you need to switch from adding things to your to-do-list to actual start removing things. You need to write a to-NOT-do-list. You need to rid yourself of what doesn’t serve you.
What are the three key areas to explore when doing so?
#1 GET RID OF DISTRACTIONS
The technology turbulence combined with the trend of open-plant and shared co-working spaces made the distractions we need to deal present 24/7. Therefore learning to remove distractions became key in unlocking time and energy and allowing you to achieve the state of uninterrupted flow where peak performance happens.
I used to start my day opening all 6 work emails, 3 private ones and all social media profiles. Whenever I got an email or a message, I would stop whatever I was doing and start replying. Then my colleagues would drop in to say hi, ask a question or just get a coffee. Then my client would give me a call. And there I was, ending my day feeling I have done nothing.
How does your work-day look like? What distractions do you create for yourself and which ones become the norm by the outside world?
Some quick tips & tricks that I use:
- Check emails only once or twice a day at defined times, but otherwise, close them all down.
- Never have multiple windows open on my screen, mainly shutting down social media accounts when needing to fully concentrate.
- Defining my quiet and interruption-free space for writing or project work, telling my office partner “I am going into the zone” so that she knows not to interrupt me.
- Use headphones and my favorite focus-music that immediately triggers my brain to zoom into whatever I am doing, eliminating the outside noise and movement around.
- Switch off the phone(s), putting it far away, to eliminate the desire to switch it back on.
Check out a great book was written on this topic by Jane Piper: Focus in the Age of Distraction, including 35 tips to focus more and work less.
#2 GET RID OF THE “EASY FIRST”
As our ego likes the feeling of accomplishment, we tend to go for the “quick wins” first. Such quick wins are usually not out of your comfort zone, are much smaller in regards to needed time or effort and are repeated, meaning, its not our first time doing them. And as great as it is to start your day with a nice quick win, the risk is of getting into the habit on spending too much time on “keeping busy” with such quick wins, deferring getting hands-on the big task or activity that would allow you to make progress.
I used to start my day by all the easy admin tasks as emails and then I would work on tasks which I was very comfortable in finalizing with minimal effort. Few distractions later I would busy-myself through the day arriving at 5pm being too tired to actually start with the big task that I really wanted to get done, postponing it to tomorrow.
How do you start your work day? Do you start with the easy-first and the quick-wins? Or do you dive into getting your big task accomplished?
Some quick tips & tricks that I use:
- Know what is my big task for each day – what is the non-negotiable to achieve for today?
- Chunk the big tasks down to actually spot quick-wins that would contribute to achieving it.
- Block a time in my calendar for the day to actually get the task done, removing any distractions that might come your way.
- If the task is a bigger one, don’t try to push through 4 hours in one go but rather separate it into two sessions of 2 hours and plan for a jog, walk or coffee-break in between to refresh.
#3 GET RID OF SAYING “YES” TO NON-ESSENTIALS
Saying “Yes” without much thought or analysis of what does it actually imply is another tendency we humans fall into. We like to be liked. We like to help our loved ones. We feel obliged to say “Yes” at work to our boss or colleagues. Or we simply feel as we can’t say “No” fearing the disappointment we might cause or exclusion we might experinece.
I was a master in saying “Yes”. In private I would be babysitting, writing CVs and applications, engaging in various family projects. At work I could easily end up having multiple projects out of my regular job description. In free time I would have a sport activity, 2 coffee meetings and a dinner planned for almost each day to see friends who wanted to meet. I was constantly on the run. Constantly “busy”. Constantly exhausted, lacking time for myself, to be still, to read a book. I realized I need to be much more selective and say “Yes” to the essentials only.
Do you say “Yes” to any request coming your way? What are the non-essentials currently on your to-do-list? Do you fear saying “No”?
Some quick tips & tricks that I use:
- Know my essentials: what gives me most energy, what do I enjoy doing, who do I enjoy seeing, what do I want to achieve etc.?
- Know what do I need and schedule it into my agenda first, making it non-negotiable in case requests start coming in.
- Learn to say “No” skillfully, with respect and care, speaking my truth without making people upset, and managing their expectations for the future too.
- Look for alternatives: Instead of saying “Yes” to the direct request, can I recommend another person who might have the time, expertise and desire to help? Can I negotiate an extended deadline? Can I do just a part of the requested or get support with it?
YOUR TURN!
Go and get into your flow by eliminating distractions, create smarter quick-wins and learn to say “No” to the non-essential. Think about your current working routines and create more productive ones in order to truly accelerate progress made, getting closer to achieving your dreams.
