Not all time is equal! A few hours of solitude is far different than thirty-minutes between meetings. High value work fits better in one than the other, as such, some time produces higher value than other time. We describe a typical workday in these common blocks of time:
Focused Time
Long duration, uninterrupted time. Here we accomplish our most valuable work. This time is worth more than gold, yet it is scarce in our ever-connected environments. Long duration is the hard part. I personally strive for 3-hours, but no less than 90-minutes, otherwise it’s not worth diving into the type of work best suited for focused time. I try to have it first thing in the morning before the chaos arrives, but it can be scheduled wherever it best fits for you. During this time, aim for no distraction. Silence notifications, turn off pop-ups, hide your phone if needed. Stay focused on the task that requires big brain effort.
Unfocused Time
Short duration, wherever you can fit it time. Here you push along the daily work so you you never get behind on the small stuff. This time habit is generally slotted whenever it fits best, based on the next day’s commitments. I also try to be distraction free during this time, but here I respond to random emails, check text messages, maybe browse a little social media. I try to slot it after lunch (no hard stop) and in-between meetings.
Meetings
If focused time is high productivity, meetings tend to be the opposite. They break up focused time and consume what could be unfocused time. Try to cluster them together or get rid of them entirely (could this have been an email?). Since I try to get that 3-hour focused time every workday, I request meetings to start at 1:30pm or later. You might have a different preference, but the point is the have a preference and try to nudge your calendar toward it.
Downtime
It’s proven to increase performance, so enjoy it! Schedule a proper lunch every day. Get away from your workspace!
Daily Close
Ideally, at the end of your day, comb your notes, do any quick tasks, update your task list (mine is organized by time habit) and plan tomorrow’s Super Day. I try to do this at the end of the day, when I have the most information about my upcoming priorities, and I’m least likely to receive new calendar invites.