In This Episode…
After pondering on needing to get clearer and more focused yesterday, I revisit a topic I’m sure I’ve mentioned before. It’s about how I structure my day and choose what to do. I think this could be a big breakthrough for me….I think I need one!
Episode Show Notes…
The Rhythm Of My Work
I think I have mentioned this before and that is this idea of The Rhythm of my work. What do I mean by that?
Well this is about the routine and ritual of my daily work habits to meet my work objectives.
If you look at the potential range of options for structuring your day, at the one end of the spectrum you have completely random, reactive responses to whatever comes up. A state governed very much by being triggered by what turns up or by whatever you feel like doing.
At the other end of the spectrum you have a very rigid, minute by minute, planned in minute detail approach to your work that sucks the creativity out of it so all that’s left is a bloody good spreadsheet and a stop watch.
Now let’s be clear. I’m not judging either because even those two extremes have their place.
What I am talking about is a balance somewhere in between that suits you and the work you do. Structured enough to create consistency, but flexible enough to allow creativity.
I’ve noticed that my best results over a long period of time come when I consistently apply myself in a structured way.
I also know that given the freedom and space, I can be extremely creative and prolific with the production of my content.
So what is the balance?
Well that is what your Rhythm of Work is all about. Well when I say “your” I mean “mine”.
Defining that rhythm is a challenge if I have got too much on my plate… which is where I have been drifting towards.
However last night I started to get clearer on my priority and the extraneous things began to melt away. With fewer options, it is starting to become clearer about how I can structure my day around a rhythm that will work for me.
I already have some of the minor rhythmic frequencies in place for my morning routine, my midday check of email and LinkedIn, my podcast and feeding back to my assistant. But now I need to slot in the major rhythms.
And I think it is going to be as simple as a slot in the morning and a slot in the afternoon.
As a starting point, I’m building out my sales system in the morning (which includes content development) and then working on my new interview podcast in the afternoon.
Let’s see how that works out.
Closing The Door On Everything Else
My mantra is this:
Do More Important Work, In A More Focused Way, More Often, And For Longer.
I used to say to the participants on my Getting More Done seminars I used to run when I could be in a room with people, that it would be great if we could just be given one job to do and then be allowed to just get on and do that.
I’d usually get a lot of heads nodding in agreement at that point. Many of them wistfully gazing into the semi-distance off on a dream like excursion into what that might be like for them… oh if only!
Well you can have it.
Because you can pick the next thing you focus on AND you can close the door on everything else.
When you do that you have the space and freedom to think clearly about that one thing.
That’s what I did this morning.
I had to put together my draft slides for my next masterclass in preparation for the client meeting. So all I did for the first three hours of my day was that.
I did more important work in a more focused way.
I just have to do it more often and for longer now.
Pearls Of Productivity
I’ve been mulling on a few metaphors and analogies recently to help illustrate the points I am trying to make. This week when I delivered my Productivity Masterclass I majored on the importance of habits.
I likened their development to how a pearl evolves. An irritant inside the pearl triggers the production of a fluid coating call nacre as a defence mechanism. Over time the layers build up and a pearl is formed.
That’s a bit like a habit. When it first starts it might be irritating or at lest uncomfortable to do. But over time as you become used to it and it starts becoming an automatic action, it’s recall is smooth and its deployment is easy to the extent it becomes valuable.
