This week I had an interesting conversation with a great friend I met on the internet. We were talking about forming habits, the challenges, the why’s and techniques to drive results. The more I kept talking, the more I realised my lack of healthy work habits. It’s insane how easy it is for me to have a healthy lifestyle but at the same time not having the most productive work routine. I reflected on my week, and it was looking more like the chart on the left. Yes, we are have been here. Days where meetings are all over the day, the inbox keeps growing and some bug knocks on the door.
This is mentally draining. But indeed, what’s happening here is described as context switching. Each time we’re interrupted mid-task, we pay a tax on our time and attention. The more attention that is divided, the harder it becomes to stay focused on any one thing.
Source: Doist
And technology is not helping either. We are drowning with notifications, new content, new inputs. And what is worst, our work culture also values when you’re responsive. I don’t want to explore task prioritisation here, you should check Eisenhower Matrix or Commitment Inventory if interested.
All to say, there are 24 hours a day and you would most likely have 4-5 hours of deep work. Prioritizing on things that interest you is a great starting point to organize your life. Context switching is making deep work go away and reducing time for those interests.
Spending time with people I love. Spending time with people spark my curiosity. Spending time on my health, doing fitness and healthy diets Spending time travelling to new places. Spending time and hacking on creative projects, reading about stuff I’m curious about, or working on new businesses I’m passionate about.
Set your pillars. Understanding my interests has motivated me to work better. Make yourself unreachable so you are less distracted and more prompt to make the most out of deep work sessions.
On another note - The bigger the mistake the learning opportunity
Like science, businesses are experiments done right. And like science through experimentation comes growth and innovation. The scientific community has been sharing their wins and failures for years. But people in business are more reticent to share. It is drilled into us that mistakes are something to be embarrassed about.
Running experiments make businesses perform better. But experiments need to have a ‘safety’ framework. Be bold and be wrong cheap and fast. It is no brainer that we don’t one to spend much time and effort fighting something that won’t work. Don’t forget the most important part, don’t hide the mistakes under the rug, be like a scientist and share it as widely as you can.
My last thought - High concept pitches
I like condensing concept, let people describe you in ONE sentence. Films or startups are a great fit. But try to describe a friend in one sentence, a course you want to take, or even an object you want to buy. A single sentence distils the utility/vision. On startups, you’ll nail it once investors, users and PR use the sentence to describe your product.
References: https://blog.doist.com/context-switching/ https://www.growth-os.com/post/how-to-get-growth-via-experimentation-embedding-the-test-and-learn-culture-into-your-business https://venturehacks.com/high-concept-pitch
