That resonates a lot with me! Writer Zadie Smith has a similar approach - basically, ever since she had kids she was forced to give her working (writing) hours a bit more structure, and she does all her writing between 10am and 2pm, no interruptions. I maintain that most people can get more work done in 4 hours of focused work, compared to 8 hours of forced presence (at the office or online) :)
I would add that 'getting more work done' has much to do with flow-state.
Flow-state and focused work are so connected with each other. You get more focused because of the flow state, but you need to nurture that focus by not getting distracted by notifications and things like that.
So, it's more like saying: Instead of trying to get into flow state 8 hours a day (which is impossible), I design 10 am to 2 pm precisely so the chance of getting into flow state is high.
If you work in a company and try to block some time out in between meetings, do not create periodic focus blocks in always the same time slot every week.
Try to create multiple series events which repeat every 3-5 weeks. If not, your coworkers will figure it out easily when your calendar is only fake-blocked and thus will call or overbook.
I know that this just cures the symptoms but not the cause, but it’s better than nothing and will allow you to get some focus time.
But you always have to justify for why you put focus blockers in your calendar. Which is kinda funny, because as you said, everybody benefits from it.
But so many people don’t care about the science between uninterrupted work and think they are as productive in their some minutes long breaks in-between meetings.
I completely agree with your point and I think we should have one day in whole week where we should avoid meetings and should focus just on useful tasks.
By blocking time for focussed work. Luckily at my company we have a company-wide focus time which blocks everyone’s calendars and makes it easier as we don’t schedule meetings during that time
As humans and workers… we go in spurts. I’ve always thought everyone should be on the same page and have like 50 minutes of “sprinting” and then 10 minutes of rest.
8 hour days seem arbitrary and unstructured. The stats on how much actual work is done during that time is staggering.
I miss the days before the modern cell phone. It took me six months of focused effort (~2 hours per day) to figure out a math problem I needed to write my Masters thesis. These two hours were spent on a commuter train—one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. I still remember when I figured it out. It was on my way home - I jumped up and started hooping and hollering - my Eureka moment. A few fellow passengers knew what I was working on and clapped and cheered.
I was really proud of the work done on my Masters thesis though 😄
Yes, with some focus time and no distractions it's amazing what you can accomplish. And you don't really need that much focus time, but you need it constantly, that's for sure.
That resonates a lot with me! Writer Zadie Smith has a similar approach - basically, ever since she had kids she was forced to give her working (writing) hours a bit more structure, and she does all her writing between 10am and 2pm, no interruptions. I maintain that most people can get more work done in 4 hours of focused work, compared to 8 hours of forced presence (at the office or online) :)
Systems are key if you are time-constrained, and having a child will definitely make you more time-constrained 😄
I can imagine 😄
Talking from very direct experience👶😎
I agree with that!
I would add that 'getting more work done' has much to do with flow-state.
Flow-state and focused work are so connected with each other. You get more focused because of the flow state, but you need to nurture that focus by not getting distracted by notifications and things like that.
So, it's more like saying: Instead of trying to get into flow state 8 hours a day (which is impossible), I design 10 am to 2 pm precisely so the chance of getting into flow state is high.
Yep, definitely agree with that!
If you work in a company and try to block some time out in between meetings, do not create periodic focus blocks in always the same time slot every week.
Try to create multiple series events which repeat every 3-5 weeks. If not, your coworkers will figure it out easily when your calendar is only fake-blocked and thus will call or overbook.
I know that this just cures the symptoms but not the cause, but it’s better than nothing and will allow you to get some focus time.
Agree 100% and this is exactly what I was doing.
You need to be smart to protect that focus time, cause in the end it benefits you and the company as well.
But you always have to justify for why you put focus blockers in your calendar. Which is kinda funny, because as you said, everybody benefits from it.
But so many people don’t care about the science between uninterrupted work and think they are as productive in their some minutes long breaks in-between meetings.
What would you suggest to do to make them understand?
Produce better results than those who do not value uninterrupted focus time. But that’s not always that easy.
I completely agree with your point and I think we should have one day in whole week where we should avoid meetings and should focus just on useful tasks.
Thanks Rachit!
One day of no-meetings is a great start.
Great points! Reminded me of this:
https://newsletter.consultingintel.com/pub/themanagementconsultant/p/productivity-routine?
Yours reminded me of this:
https://open.substack.com/pub/giacomofalcone/p/1-while-surfing-the-hustle-culture?r=1exjmj&utm_medium=ios
Sorry I missed this!
Very good read, and I can see how this made you think about that piece.
Thanks for sharing!
Focus time without distractions is the holy grail for me :)
How do you get it consistently?
By blocking time for focussed work. Luckily at my company we have a company-wide focus time which blocks everyone’s calendars and makes it easier as we don’t schedule meetings during that time
Never heard of this. Amazing!
As humans and workers… we go in spurts. I’ve always thought everyone should be on the same page and have like 50 minutes of “sprinting” and then 10 minutes of rest.
8 hour days seem arbitrary and unstructured. The stats on how much actual work is done during that time is staggering.
Mind blowing, actually.
Even 50 minutes of “sprint” seems impossible with today’s distractions.
Depending on the task, this might vary, but 30 minutes of intense focus will do the work for 99% of business professionals (not engineers).
The problem is that we can hardly have these 30 minutes repeatedly during the working day.
Ya that’s reasonable!
Obviously that's a problem we (business professionals) and companies have to solve together.
Every problem has a solution!
I miss the days before the modern cell phone. It took me six months of focused effort (~2 hours per day) to figure out a math problem I needed to write my Masters thesis. These two hours were spent on a commuter train—one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. I still remember when I figured it out. It was on my way home - I jumped up and started hooping and hollering - my Eureka moment. A few fellow passengers knew what I was working on and clapped and cheered.
Amazing story, David!
Please, tell me more about your Master's thesis. What was about?
Like most Masters Thesis, not worth the paper it’s printed on. Your post just reminded me of what one can accomplish if they focus.
I was really proud of the work done on my Masters thesis though 😄
Yes, with some focus time and no distractions it's amazing what you can accomplish. And you don't really need that much focus time, but you need it constantly, that's for sure.