Do you get frustrated with all the people and things that need your attention every day? Do the constant distractions of modern technology keep you from getting things done? Do I see you nodding your head yes? Don’t worry, you have lots of company.
Whether you are a mom trying to manage a household, entrepreneur trying to run a business or just a busy person trying to fit some creative time into your day, you face the same problem as everyone else. How do you make the time to get things done? I’d like to share a simple process that has worked wonders for me. I’ll bet it will help you too.
The process I want to share is not new. I certainly did not invent it. It has been used by all manner of people, from writers to artists, from moms to executives. I’ve heard it called Critical Focus Time, Serious Focus Time, and a bunch of other names. I like to call it FOOT Time. Focus On One Thing Time. Mostly, I like this name because I really have to put my foot down to make this work.
Recipe for Focus On One Thing Time
Ingredients: Timer, Tools for the task at hand
For a timer, grab a kitchen timer with a buzzer. If you don’t have one handy, use the timer on your cell phone. Don’t set the timer quite yet.
Gather up the tools you need. If I’m writing an article or blog post, I do better work with pen and paper. (I’m too easily distracted if the computer is on.) If I’m in the studio, I set out all the materials that I need for my project.
Step 1: Remove Distractions
This is the hard part. Distractions are the biggest enemy of getting things done, so you need to set up as many barriers as possible to guard your time. Here are some suggestions.
In the office: Turn off your phone. (Even if you don’t answer it, a ringing phone interrupts your thinking.) Shut down the e-mail, turn off Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Dropbox, and anything else that sends notifications.
In the studio: Turn off the phone, close the door, and whatever else you can do to let people know you are busy. If you have children, make a sign with a happy face on one side and a sad face on the other; teach your family not to bother you when they see a sad face. (It works for husbands too!)
One last idea – put on a pair of headphones even if you are not listening to anything. It’s a visual clue that you don’t want to be interrupted.
Step 2: Set the Timer and Focus On One Thing
Work on your chosen task for 25 minutes – without doing anything else.
Step 3: STOP after 25 minutes.
Even if you’re on a roll, stop when the timer goes off and take a 5-minute break. Get up and do something physical. Stretch, get a fresh cup of tea, whatever you want, but don’t just sit at your desk or sewing machine. My office and studio are on the lower level of our home, so I often walk up and down the stairs a few times while I’m waiting for my tea to steep. It’s not exciting, but it works!
Step 4: Repeat or Not
After your 5-minute break, sit down to another 25 minutes of FOOT Time, or go on to the other tasks of your day. If you’re lucky enough to have 2 hours of focus time available, break it into four 25-minute sessions with 5 minute breaks. Your body and your brain will thank you, and you’ll get an amazing amount of stuff done!
Make it a Habit
If you’re easily distracted like I am, making FOOT Time a part of your daily routine can be incredibly helpful. When I first started out, I had a tough time actually doing one single thing for 25 minutes, but now I love it. There’s something incredibly liberating about doing one single thing and actually getting it done!
even as a long time member of the “Grandma Club” I find so many distractions to pull me in so many directions at one time. staying in time management skills (as when I worked outside of the home demanded) takes time, but is so worth it. when we find ourselves scattered, no projects are completed and we lose the sense of completion, which at our age, we need. we can do it, we will do it!
we must stay focused on our projects and realize that if we lose time management skills at home, then the other “outside” events will also reflect our losses. reflection on perfection is one thing, staying tuned into our personal time tables is another. forward ho fellow sewer, forward ho fellow craft people, let’s KEEP THE WAGONS ROLLING!
Shelly, Love the FOOT analogy! Thanks for sharing that. I find that once I get into the task, I’m so into it that I forget the 5 minute break. I’ve got a 25-minute timer (Pomodoro) downloaded from the Internet on my desktop and that should help with that break! Morna
I thought you would get a chuckle out of that, Morna. I thought of you and your CREATE acronym as I was writing. The breaks are good — if nothing else, it gets us off our duff. 🙂
Thanks for this great reminder Shelly! One of my past coaches called them “extreme productivity sessions”. Last year I shared an office with a gal who happened to come in with her husband one Saturday when I had my head down in a project. She asked me what I was up to and I said “I’m in an extreme productivity session”. Immediately said “oh, OK, we won’t bother you or be staying here long” and left me at that. It was very empowering to see how effective my focus was in that moment as well as how it was honored 🙂
Thanks for your note, Dewi. I’m working in my new office at home now, and I’m finding ways to let my husband know that it’s not a good time to come in to chat (without saying GO AWAY!) The headphones seem to work well.
Great advice, and yes, I struggle with juggling too many things, then don’t feel like I accomplish anything. I shall put my timer (and my time) to this test. Thanks!
Definitely give it a try. I was talking with my coaching team today one of them mentioned a 15 min on / 10 min off cycle used by a client that works well for a lot of people. You just have to see what set of intervals works best for you.
Oooh, a new technique to try! I find that I need to focus on projects in big chunks of time, even house cleaning and laundry chores. Fifteen minutes at a time, or a load of laundry every morning doesn’t work for me. I’m going to try the timer method today and see how it works. This time of year, I find myself so scattered and this might be the answer to getting things done.
Go for it Patrice. And let me know how it works for you!