Five things to try if you’re working under new and challenging conditions
Hi there,
Some time back, I read the book Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky. Many of their suggestions are things you’ve heard before, but it’s a great collection of tips (87 in all) to shake up or refine the way you work.
I picked out the 5 best suggestions for these strange weeks we’re in, when many of us around the world are juggling care tasks and mounting concerns, while trying to work under new and challenging conditions.
They’re all simple ways to regain your focus and a daily rhythm in a time when everything else – where you work, how fragmented your day is, who’s around during work – has changed (or may change soon).
Pick a highlight for the day
While I focus in my book on planning your week, Knapp en Zeratsky opt for a daily highlight.
It’s super straightforward and well-suited to this moment we’re in.
The idea is before you go to bed (or first thing in the morning) pick one thing to do that will make your day a success. Set aside time in your day for the day’s highlight. Planning your week helps get things done, but it doesn’t guarantee success. At the end of a given day, you can still be left feeling that you didn’t make enough progress. A daily highlight can make all the difference. It’s clear and motivating and easy, making it ideal for times when you’re grappling with other stuff.
Wipe your screen clean
Not talking about anti-virus measures here – though of course that’s a good idea too. I’m talking about being in charge of your phone. It can seem impossible, especially with all the distractions right now. I’ve tried all the tips: a black and white display, screen time limits, turning off all notifications except for disaster alerts. I don’t know how far you’ve gone, but no one technique works for me yet, and so I keep experimenting.
Make Time had a good suggestion to try: Move all your app icons to the second screen and beyond. Nothing earth shattering here. But if you pick up your phone out of habit, this just might be the visual nudge that helps you put it back down. Mission accomplished.
Set your own deadlines more
Deadlines imposed by others can be tough. Set them yourself, and they can be incredibly helpful. The idea behind this is simple: if your own priorities don’t have a deadline, then everything else comes first. Once you’ve set a deadline, you have to negotiate any changes with yourself, which is a good thing. It keeps your own priorities in the picture.
I do this at a micro-level throughout the day, by setting aside blocks of time in my calendar. More broadly, I set deadlines for quarterly goals and then work towards the end of the quarter (coming up soon!) As I write this, I realize I could try doing something in between, setting deadlines for my own projects at some level between daily and quarterly.
Find a focus soundtrack
We’re creatures of habit. Smell food cooking and you notice you’re hungry. Heading to the office? Got to have your coffee. You can also play around with your own habit-forming nature, and learn to trigger behavior you want.
The authors of Make Time suggest playing the same music before you get down to work, to help you focus and get into a flow faster. After a while, you’ll be conditioned to work when you hear it and snap into a working frame of mind. I’m a little skeptical, because I think it may take some time before this kind of signal has the desired effect. But it’s certainly worth a try.
While you’re staying home (as you should!), it’s a great idea to find some new routines and habits that will help you deal with the situation.
Take real breaks
If you work with FocusMate, your calendar, or use Pomodoro timers to focus, taking breaks is an explicit part of the system. And of course we all take mental breaks from work in some form or another throughout the day. I’m guilty of often resorting to on-screen breaks: checking my email, reading a blog post, or listening to a podcast. Far better is to take true breaks. Get up, get yourself something to drink, take a short walk outside, or breathe deeply for a few minutes.
Life can be pretty relentless. Now more than ever. It’s a good reminder to start taking better breaks.
What small changes will you try this week? One of these suggestions or something completely different? Let me know if you find other things that help.
Take care and have a good week,
Rick
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