My last blog entry was about accomplishing more by doing less (if you'd like to read that one first, click here). I'd like to focus on one aspect of this by talking a bit more about scheduling and time blocking.
Now, I want to preface all this by saying one thing: we are not trying to make you more efficient so that you can get 40 hours of work done in 16 hours a day. The whole point of this is to help you get more done so that you can spend less time working, and spend more time painting, writing poetry, snowboarding, cooking, or whatever it is that makes your heart sing.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but the more time you spend doing stuff you love, the more effective you will be. Ever had a trainer tell you that your rest days are when your muscles change? It's the same with the brain. You're packing tons of information in there all week, but it's when you relax, unwind and completely shift your focus to something fun and compelling that your brain has the breathing space to sort it all out. You'll gain a broader perspective and get a whole lot more creative. You'll get great ideas. You'll be a visionary, not a drone. And the most important part is that you'll be a whole lot happier.
I can't tell you how many times a day people describe this cat herding scenario to me: going all day from task to task, responding to phone calls and email as they come in, starting one task, then remembering, mid-stream, that something else needs to be done, changing tasks, never going back to the first one. Exhausting-and it leaves one with a sense of frustration. I feel tired just typing it.
I try to base my work principles on a passage from the Tao te Ching that I'd like to share with you:
Express yourself completely,
then keep quiet.
Be like the forces of nature:
when it blows, there is only wind;
when it rains, there is only rain;
when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.
I see a few principles in here: a) speak the truth and the truth only b) do what you're doing, fully, without distraction and c)if you do that, the difficulty will pass. I interpret the last line as this: when you are willing to focus completely on something, even an unpleasant task, it will pass.
So this is lovely, esoteric stuff-how do we put it into play on a practical level? The first two may be familiar, as I included them in last's week's blog.
1) Meditation, yoga, or prayer. Start the day with it, even if it's for 5 minutes. Here's a free meditation track I made for my clients-feel free to use it if you need extra support.
2) Top three priorities. Each day, write them down and do them first, before anything else.
3) Time blocking. I am a huge, huge fan of time blocking, and recommend it to all my clients. Here's my quick and dirty system:
-Pick your main three categories of work per day, and put them in order of importance
-Decide how much time you want to spend on each over the course of the day (be realistic)
-Make a schedule-here's a hypothetical example of how it may look:
1 hour potential clients: return calls, mail introductory packages
3 hours current clients: correspondence, answering questions, etc.
3 hours marketing: social networking, answering email, brainstorming, calls
-Block off the schedule in your book, with a longish break in between blocks. For instance, after the first hour, you take a stretch break, after the second block, you take lunch, and after the third, you take a walk. Every hour, take short (5 minute) breaks-play with your dog, put on a song and dance, call someone you love, stretch. Breathe. Whatever resets you.
Here are the rules:
During each block, you are only allowed to work on those tasks. That means no social networking while you're dealing with potential clients. If you do all your potential client work in 30 minutes, you spend another 30 minutes creating better systems for dealing with potential clients. You stay fully in whatever you're doing. No excuses. It's going to take discipline at the beginning, and then it's going to get a lot easier.
No email during each time block, unless it's related to the task at hand. That means that if you are writing email to potential clients, and your email is ringing with new mail from Facebook, or current clients, you must ignore it and stay focused on the task at hand.
Here's a caveat, if you are in a profession where you must give IMMEDIATE responses, you can check email for 10 minutes on the hour, or some other system like that. I say this very reluctantly, because I have a difficult time imagining a situation where email can't wait for 2 hours. Sitting and responding to each email (or Facebook comment or Twitter update) that comes in, as it comes in, is a complete and utter waste of time. It also creates the expectation with your friends, clients, and colleagues that you are always available to them, without limits. I do not consider this to be a healthy expectation.
Try the time blocking-practice being fully present in whatever you're doing. It's revolutionary. You'll likely find you have a lot more time-and a greater sense of accomplishment when you leave work earlier and go play your guitar outside in the sunshine (that's what I'm going to do as soon as I finish writing this blog posting).
If you get stuck, send me an email or comment-I'm happy to help. And keep me posted on your progress!