Power Hour.
I’m sitting in my home office tackling that item on my to do list called “write”. I try to write each morning, and find that this task, more than any other requires space and boundaries. I find that the more I carve out time to write, and create space to think, the easier it becomes. I’m a terrible multi-tasker, so I continually look for ways to help myself minimize the jumping around and maximize my attention span. I’ve found a few things that help me focus on writing, or on any other task that requires concentration:
Block out an hour and tell yourself that you will only do one specific activity for that hour. It’s an hour. Distractions can wait for an hour. If you were in a meeting, your calls and emails would wait for an hour. They can wait for this hour.
Set your intention for the hour. Yes, I got this from yoga class. Decide what you want to get done in that hour. An outline for a presentation? A blog post? A list of all the things you need to do for the week? An important email to a client? Pick a single task that you should be able to do in a distraction-free hour. And just do that task.
Remove clutter. Virtual and physical. I close all windows on my desktop other than the one I’m using to write. I try to keep my desk/office neat so I don’t get distracted by piles and the sudden need (excuse) to clean.
Get provisions. Refill your coffee. Get a snack. Let the person sitting at the desk next to you know that you’re going to be busy for a while.
Turn off desktop alerts and mute your phone. Hide any icons that blink at you telling you that messages are waiting. Log out of messenger. Put a do not disturb sign on your office door, or the back of your chair. Put on headphones even if you’re not listening to anything.
Set a timer. Mark that hour. A friend pointed me to focusatwill.com, which provides an hour of music designed to help you focus. I find it really helps. I don’t know if it’s the music, or knowing that it’s only an hour, but I’m able to concentrate for that hour.
Get started.
If you’re like me, about 15 minutes in you’ll start to get twitchy and think about all the urgent messages that must be piling up. Fight the FOMO. It’s an hour. Stand up. Stretch. Sit down. Close your eyes and remind yourself of the task of the hour.
Get back to work. If you finish your task before the hour is over, move on to another task. Take advantage of the hour you’ve carved out and fight the urge to plug back in.
At the end of your hour, look back on what you accomplished. Keep going if you’re in a groove and can keep the distractions at bay a bit longer. Then write yourself a note for tomorrow. What should you focus on then? What do you need to do differently to make it easier on yourself? I’ve started keeping a list of focus tasks. Things that I want to dive into when I can carve out time to go deep.
Go back to your regularly scheduled day.
As I said, I’ve found that like any other skill, concentration improves with practice. Each hour away from my hyper-connected life proves that I rarely (never) miss out on anything critical that had to happen during that hour, and that the benefit of what I can accomplish in an hour of quiet focus is far more valuable than constantly stopping what I’m doing to respond to a message and then trying to pick up my train of thought and keep working.
If someone can figure out how to get my canine officemate to observe an hour of focus as well, please let me know. Her snoring is not the most soothing sound.