One of the common complaints I hear from the CPAs and the leaders I work with is that many don’t seem to “have enough time”. The same goes for managers as they look around at how people on their team are doing.
It can feel like the day has been hijacked even before it begins – a growing inbox of unread messages, voicemails and texts to respond to. Which can throw us into a battle mode, trying to hack our way out, get things done as quickly as possible, all the while defending against new threats to our time.
Living this way is completely draining, and often deflating. It often gets in the way of what was most important, or our ability to produce our best work or go to bed at the end of it all feeling “that was a great day!”
In his book Essentialism, Greg McKeown reminds us: "if you don't prioritize your life, someone else will." Yes, we have clients and colleagues who need and expect our reply to their email or voicemail. But what if you could find time that is currently slipping away, get more done quicker and have more time at the end of the day?
I would also add that the list of "someones" who can derail our day needs to include our own mind! You may have noticed how your own distracting thoughts (“I’ll just check the news, email, social media, sports updates, etc. for 5 minutes…”), unhelpful habits (hitting the snooze button, staying up late watching streaming video), can equally derail you from your bigger priorities (focused work, health, relationships, sleep, growth and development, etc.).
The world around us and even our own mind can make focus, productivity and joy a rare commodity.
What Can You Do About It?
As someone who can easily get distracted or spend time on things that aren’t a priority, I'm always working on finding ways to feel like I am using my time well. Here are five tips you can use to improve your own focus and that of your team:
1. Focus on What is Important. There is no substitute for taking the time to reflect on where you are currently spending your time. Stephen Covey’s Urgent-Important Matrix is a great tool to help see this clearly (see insert below).
Far too many of us live in Quadrant 1 “Crisis”, and Quadrant 3 “Distraction” and then we collapse to Quadrant 4 “Waste”, as a place of recovery and renewal (which it isn’t). All the while having little time for Quadrant 2 “Growth and Prevention”, which literally creates more time and energy than we invest in it.
Why do we do this? I’ve written many times on how our brain evolved to survive in a very different era than today. And how dopamine, fear of missing out (FOMO) and Status unconsciously drive survival behaviours that the Tech giants know very well and leverage to capture and hold our focus.
And we evolved to be extremely curious and to dislike the sensation of boredom. In the past, curiosity or boredom led us to create and explore. But today, these qualities too often leave us lost in bottomless virtual feeds that yield little in terms of creativity.
For almost anyone reading this, I guarantee you that you are losing 30 – 90 minutes/day to unconscious survival drives and behaviours. That’s a lot of time that is available to invest in what is important! What would be possible if everyone on your team recovered 30-90 minutes/day of time?
Tip #1: Minimize time spent in Quadrants 3 and 4, reinvest that time in Quadrant 2 and you will reduce time spent in Quadrant 1.
2. Delete the Noise. The world we live in today is a noisy and chaotic place. It is an unfair contest when it comes to distraction. Recognizing our brain’s tendency toward distraction, we need to delete the noise around us.
Start by looking at the time you spend on your phone, particularly social media and newsfeeds. Then look at some of your other habits and patterns around streaming TV and Internet. The reality is that most of it is 'noise’. Much of it will dress itself up as Important, but the reality is that most of it is Not Important.
And don’t pretend you can manage this through willpower alone. You already have the data to suggest otherwise! :) The best approach is to delete the apps right off your phone, so they aren’t a click away. You can always log in online to the degree you decide this is where you will spend your time. But creating this kind of fence is extremely helpful in terms of focusing your attention.
Similarly, when doing focused work, tuck your phone completely out of sight. Then close your email and IM programs on your computer. Then only have open the specific Windows that you need for the work at hand. You will get more done in less time.
Imagine what it would be like if everyone on your team was more present and focused during their day.
Tip #2: Delete the noise and distraction around you such that you can more easily and fully put your attention on your work.
3. Create Focus Blocks. Once you know what is important and have deleted the noise that is beckoning to distract you – you need to create discreet blocks of time to focus. Most of us have unwittingly trained our brain to multi-task and have forgotten what it is like to stay focused on one thing for an extended period.
Most of the research suggests 60-90 minutes is the ideal length of time for focus, as it is aligned with our natural ultradian rhythm. Even if you only have one uninterrupted focus block in your day, you will be far more productive and feel far better about your day.
Tip #3: Schedule focus blocks into your calendar – and then honour them. You will get more work done in less time. And feel great about the work you do!
4. Recharge. We are humans, not machines! Everything about us pulses and moves in waves. Including our focus. Our brain works best when it gets regular recharge events (5-15 minutes every 60 to 90 minutes). Genuine recharge isn’t found on your phone. It looks like getting up and moving, connecting with someone, breathing or relaxation exercises, and nutritious food/water.
Tip #4: Give your brain and body periodic renewal that will allow it focus better and get more work done in less time.
5. Celebrate. If you did the above, I guarantee you will be more focused and productive on what is important. You will have converted wasted time to increased productivity, giving you far more time at the end of the day to enjoy the people and activities you love.
What greater gift could you give your team than a greater sense of focus, productivity and joy?
Tip #5: Celebrate this! Focus like this is increasingly rare in the world today. Use your newfound time for something genuinely important that you never seem to have time for.
These and other tips are all part of The Focused CPA webinar series aimed at helping CPAs find more time, greater productivity and more joy in their lives. I'd love to hear how you are doing and what would be possible for you and your team if you had greater focus. Click here to schedule a time to chat and we can explore how you could make 2021 a very different year.
I train CPAs to be more resilient, focused and connected to the people in their lives.