Time is the most valuable non-renewable resource we have. Tech titan Elon Musk is known to divide his time into 5-minute increments to obtain maximum productivity. Others schedule meetings and other important tasks to respect their time. We often hear statements such as, “Time is God”, “Time is everything”, “There’s no time”, “I’m time-bound”, “Give me some time”, “You’ll realize it in time” etc. We also hear “The more you focus on yourself, the better you become”, “Your focus determines your reality”, “Focusing means saying no”. It is true that those who master time master anything and those who can Follow One Course Until Successful (FOCUS) have been influencers for others. A person’s success often depends on whether he uses his time wisely. Using time wisely, is closely related to the ability to focus, which is a way to extend your concentration on anything in time. If you want to know the value of time, you must talk to a person ailing with terminal cancer or an athlete who came second in a race because of milliseconds difference from the winner. Finding ways to make time your best friend instead of seeing it as the enemy is a first step into priming your emotions and feeling good about time. When you’re experiencing positive feelings and emotions towards the concept of time, you will want to spend it wisely. Improving your feeling towards time begins with the knowledge and an understanding of the different kinds of time you can have in a 24-hour day. The ability for someone to focus on a task or goal is often connected with their relationship with time and whether they use it effectively.
Here are some tips for utilizing time to improve your focus by understanding the different types of time you have access to:
1.BLOCK TIME: This involves setting aside a 3-hour time block, 3 times a week e.g., 9 to 12 PM on specified weekdays in your schedule. Turn off all technology (computers, tablets, TV, laptops, smartphones, alarms, google home/alexa/echo, smartwatches) in this time block. This block will help reboot your brain, which has been primed to screen time and multiple tabs dying for your undivided attention. Neurobiologically, the distraction of a phone notification is compared with that of the sound of a scream [1]. Because we are distracted in this way, every day, we consider it as a normal event. It’s time to change this. Therefore, it is up to you to take control of your time by dedicating “BLOCK time” for doing high level work. Having this time with zero distractions moves your work forward and allows you to focus on the unique impact you make on your world.
2.BURST TIME: One of the best ways to achieve elite performance is to work in intense bursts, for 60 minutes at a time. This is the world-famous POMODORO technique, which helped many millennials maximize their productivity by taking advantage of BURST time. In this way, you focus your entire energy and talent into a set time frame (could be 20, 30 40, 50 or 60 minutes) followed by a 10 minute break for rest and recovery. Use this method twice a day and you can get more done than most people get done in 14 days [2]. Bill Gates schedules a BURST time of one full week just for reading. He puts himself in a new environment to get those creative juices flowing [3]. Your biggest ideas might formulate away from your usual environment. So once every three weeks, take time to strategize, plan and make your 5-year vision or to think about how your life can become legendary. Make this a monthly routine.
3.BUDDY TIME: Have association with a mentor, a coach, or a visionary on a regular basis (preferably bi-weekly or monthly). If you want to become a master in your field, you need the association of subject matter experts who can coach you in the career you you want to build for yourself. These mentors or buddies must also be individuals you look up to and respect. It cannot be emphasized enough that your peer group matters and will have a huge impact on your long-term success. The intensity of your focus is also determined by how accountable you are towards yourself and your mentors. What helps you achieve your goals faster is being around people who are on the same journey as you as well as those who are ahead of you and can guide you along the path. You can schedule this time into your calendar by sending out invites in advance to your mentors so they are available for you every week at that specified time. The key to enhancing the quality of your interaction with a mentor is by sharing the progress you made after your last interaction. Make this happen but be sure to communicate if you cannot keep an appointment.
4.INSPIRATION TIME: Learn to become inspired by your day to day and from where you derive your inspiration. Finding what fuels you and what lifts you up is an important way to improve your focus on what is really important to you, whether it is travelling into a forest or listening to a great piece of music or having engaging conversations with your favorite relative or friend. Another aspect of inspiration time is to use it to learn how to hold on to inspiration even when things are hard. Learn what helps you persevere against heartbreak, apathy, adversity, the world’s fears, monthly bills and your daily troubles. Don’t let the world’s fears become yours. Practice gratitude by saying thank you out loud everyday to at least one living entity (maybe your parent, sibling, friend, teacher etc) and one non-living entity (rock, paper, scissors, kerchief, table, chair etc). Thank the things and people in your life, and remember to always love people and use things, and never the other way around.
This piece is inspired by Robin Sharma, one of my favorite authors.
References:
[1] https://www.neurotucson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/The-Neurobiology-of-Attention-publish.pdf
[2] https://www.robinsharma.com/article/the-methods-for-superhuman-productivity
Life@ 24/7 