Deep work: How to focus in on tasks and outperform your colleagues (or just get “stuff” done better)

Introduction

A typical working day for me consists of approximately; 5 hours commuting, 9+ hours work, an average of 4 meetings, 110 emails and 18 queries. 

The ramifications of that mean my attention is fractured at best, that is, I get small windows of opportunity to focus on key tasks that I want to close out. Now then that in consideration of the working window of time in the office (when I am not working remotely) I have then around 4 hours to do a ‘full days work’…

The outcome is that my productivity goes down, I cannot cover all of my key activities and I not work to the standard that I prefer to work to, with a back log activities leading to mental exhaustion, weekend working and fatigue.

With more ‘streamlined’ teams and broader responsibilities in the modern working corporate world, we need to be more efficient than ever before. So how is that possible?

The concept of Deep Work

I have recently started to go back over old ground on my work approach, revisiting how I can, at 43, work like I was still 30. And one thing is consistent:

·        Working uninterrupted

·        Focused on one task

·        Setting a period of time to complete said task before rest or review

Deep work is by no means my idea or a new concept. Coined I believe by Karl Jung, who setup his retreat in Switzerland, he realised that he was able to quickly master hard cognitive skills whilst working in isolation.

Its not a skill that you read from a book or have to even follow a guide. It just takes practice. The mind being the powerful tool that it is, you will note how in the modern working world we have adapted to be constantly plugged in, to work with multiple tasks simultaneously. It is this that can lead to burn out, fatigue and lower quality of work. 

However, for the complex tasks that form the majority of our measurable activities, Deep work can assist us to work more effectively, productively, and seemingly better than our colleagues who are not in the know.

The Law of Productivity

The Law of Productivity can be defined as: High Quality work produced = time spent x intensity of focus.

By increasing focus on single tasks uninterrupted, with practice you will:

·        Deliver more in less time

·        Increase the quality of your work

·        Lower errors and mistakes

·        Stand out against your peers

The concept behind locking in set time for a task is simple. If you constantly switch between tasks and interrupt your thought, you will get attention residue. That is, you wont be focused 100%  and thus subsequently low performing on the next task.

Getting into your ‘Zen Zone’

To achieve this, you need to look to your work calendar. Seriously, I bet its a clusterf%&k of meetings, reminders, and appointments. 

Try this. Review your calendar for the week. Look at the current tasks you have (yes I know we constantly re-prioritise and get new activities, but humour me for now). You need to consider how you can ‘batch your time’. That is, batching your time by blocking out segments of time to define the time you will focus on one specific task.

You shouldn’t try to do this for every task you have, and I am going to assume you have also prioritised your workload already. Now in your working day also block out some time for adhoc queries, say 3 x 30 minute slots. Make these recurring also. 

Finally, ensure you do this around your key meetings which form part of your role.

You should now have:

·        1.5hrs a day blocked out for adhoc queries

·        Meetings for your day as per your role

·        Spare time

Now you are going to take the one (or more) task of the day and block time out. You will need to decide what amount of time you need to complete the task, and you may need to build up in terms of duration of focus. Remember, this is your dedicated time to completely close out a task to completion or review.

You have 3 dedicated slots for adhoc queries, which you can remove on a day by day basis, or reassign should that time slot not get utilised.

You are now organised and already taking steps to be more in control (go grab that flat white you've promised yourself).

Finding your ‘safe place’

To do Deep work you need to prepare your surroundings. It goes without saying that in a busy corporate office, this isn’t always possible, but you can take the following steps:

·        Headphones – find some study music or classical or whatever helps you zone in and use your headphones. Some companies don’t like this, some don’t mind. If you need to ask your manager first do so – and explain that you need to give your task 100% focus

·        Turn off Email – Yes you read that right. The last thing you need is the constant popping up of message previews that will break your concentration completely if you see something that you then want to review

·        Set your collaboration chat software to Do not Disturb – else turn if off. Those constant pings are nothing less than annoying and will also break your concentration. Plus you don’t really need to see the Yoda emoticon from Finance popping up…

Conclusion

The modern workplace requires most of us to be modern cognitive ninjas, leaping from task to task, running with multiple activities in parallel, whilst also being the colleague, worker, friend, partner, parent and more.

By looking to see what tasks require your 100% attention, prioritising your workload, carving out Deep work sessions and working to improve your approach you can perform in the workplace, demonstrate better ways of working and still get to the office drinks or the train station to head home at 6pm without feeling guilty. 

About Jonathan Frostick (aka Frosty)

Jonathan Frostick is a senior governance and assurance practitioner. He has worked across multiple industries designing and delivering governance processes and building capable teams in the capacity of a freelancer, consultant and employee.

He helps organisations improve and deliver their governance processes and deliveries, focusing on pragmatic and sustainable processes which enhance rather than constrain. 

His larger than life personality, combined with his doggedness to get things done, fortunately mellowed by his excellent sense of humour (not his words, but recommendation feedback) means he is like marmite - ultimately you either love him or hate him, but nothing in between.