This ONE thing will help you get more done at work
Are you feeling overwhelmed and burnt out because your days are a sea of meetings? Are you having to pull out your laptop after hours to actually get work done, feeling resentful that you’re working extra hours?
Try this one simple thing to reclaim some of that precious time back: block 2-3 hours per week as focus time for yourself.
Yeah, yeah, you’ve tried it, I’m sure. It always ends up getting scheduled over, or you’re managing 87 Teams threads while texting with your partner about the kids’ after school schedule and having Carol from accounting pop by to say hello.
You’ve got to put in a little work to set this strategy up for success, and check your ego at the door (which might be the hardest part).
Do these five things and protect this time with your life, and I promise it will work for you:
Block the time. Like, actually go into your calendar and block off the time and make it a recurring meeting every week until the end of time.
Treat the time as sacred. If you work with someone to help with your schedule, they can help you keep that time clear. If you don’t, you have to be able to say no. Name it something else if “Focus Time” means “time I can schedule over” in your company — a private appointment can work well.
Tell your team what you’re doing. Tell them when this time is, what you’re using it for, and how you will be totally unavailable during those 2-3 hours every week.
Tell your boss and peers you work closely with what you’re doing, and that you’ll be unavailable during that time. Tell them why you’re doing it and what you’re using that time for. Report back to your boss during your one-on-ones what you’ve been able to accomplish during this time.
Set yourself up for success during your focus time:
Close the door to your office, work from home, work from a coffee shop or library (hide, is what I’m telling you).
TURN OFF NOTIFICATIONS. Seriously. Close Outlook, close Teams or Slack, and focus. At the very least, turn off the notifications so you’re not “squirrel!”-ing all over the place.
Have a clear goal for what you’ll accomplish during this time. Is it finishing a proposal, balancing the budget, catching up on contact reports? Name it at the beginning of the time and you’ll feel awesome that you checked it off the list.
And here’s possibly the hardest part: check your ego at the door. You are important and excellent, I know. But you’re not SO important that being unavailable for 2-3 hours will wreak havoc over your organization. If your team or boss needs you so often that you can’t do this, you have bigger problems.
Try it for a month. I bet you will feel so much better and have less to do at home after hours.
