An easy strategy for creating deep focus at work
Multitasking is a myth. We don’t multitask – we task switch, and every time we switch tasks, or even have our attention drawn away from what we are doing - think: phone notifications - we lose cognitive power (see the radical monotasking challenge). If you’ve ever turned down the music while you concentrate on a tricky driving manouver, you know what I’m talking about.
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the importance of creating healthy boundaries between work and recovery time. It’s just as important to create boundaries within your workday that will allow you to create the optimal conditions for getting work done.
Some of the most satisfying work we do is the stuff that involves deep, focused attention. It’s geeky, but I would get that from drafting big, complex legal contracts. I would be totally immersed, and the time would fly by. (Incidentally, the science behind this is well researched – it’s called flow, a.k.a. being in “the zone”, and the more often we’re there, the better for our physical and mental health.)
When are you not totally immersed? When you are at the mercy of interruptions: phones, email notifications, chat groups, instant messaging, calendar alerts. These are all massively deleterious to our ability to get into deep focus AND they are totally within our control (unlike the toddler who comes in looking for you right when you’re about to make that breakthrough).
Over the past few weeks this simple, practical strategy for creating deep focus in the working day has come up multiple times with different clients. I figured that could only be the cosmos giving me a nudge to share it with you today… so here it is..
Very simple, very practical – and surprisingly powerful.
Decide on the piece of work you want to immerse in, and how long you would like to spend on it. For most people, about 45 minutes is good.
Turn off your phone, and all your notifications on your computer – if you can, switch off your internet connection. Close as many apps as you can. (Side note, for people who are uncomfortable not being able to receive calls from children etc, on an iPhone you can set to Do Not Disturb, which will allow calls from your “favourites”, or repeated calls from any number, to ring while others will be silenced. I am guessing there would be similar functionality on other phones. You can then set your phone face down and behind you so the sight of it doesn’t distract you).
Set a timer for 45 minutes (or whatever duration you’ve chosen).
Get to work until the timer goes off, then take a break.
That’s it! Doing this without a timer can be more challenging because part of your mind will likely be focused on wondering how long you’ve been going and worrying that you might need to stop. Having the timer allows you to relax into the task, knowing the duration is taken care of.
It can be great to schedule a few stints of this kind of work across your day where you can (this requires fewer meetings chewing up your time… a topic for another day!). You reach the end of the day feeling more satisfied, less stressed and with more done. AND you’ve still been able to be responsive, dropping into your messages every hour to see if anything needs your attention.
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to try this next time you are working and let me know how you go. I’d love to share some stories in another post.
Until next week, take care of yourself and others,
Madeleine
PS If you are a lawyer who is starting to wonder if it’s possible to be successful as a lawyer AND happy as a human (or if you know a lawyer like that), Thriving as a Lawyer is open for applications. Send me a message to enquire, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.
PPS Less than a week left to sign up for the Out of the Quicksand session on Wed 17 March where we’ll be talking about successfully managing work and life in times of change and transition. Register today!
I work with clients from executive leadership teams to the front line, helping them to make clearer decisions about what they want, and adapt faster and more easily to change and transition. I use deep purpose as a key to unlock powerful thriving in work and life.
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