In today's hectic world we are constantly bombarded with impressions. Your phone, the TV, your friends, and the latest Netflix shows are all fighting for your attention.
If you are an entrepreneur this problem might be even worse. Emails, meetings, product development, marketing, and never-ending task lists.
In entrepreneurial circles, hustle culture is often promoted.
Gary V tells you there is no time for a break. “Chug 10 coffees and let's go! Don’t you want it bad enough!?”
It’s easy to get caught up in this lifestyle. I know, because this used to be my way of living for a long time.
To avoid burnout I started to look around for a sustainable solution. I read books on productivity. I read biographies of successful businessmen. I read interviews with some of the most successful people on the planet.
Work Less, Accomplish More
What I found surprised me. Often the most successful people were not the hardest working people, yet they somehow seemed to get a lot done in a short period of time.
So what was their secret?
The secret turned out to be pretty simple and straightforward. It turns out it comes down to fully leveraging your time and attention.
Let's use the 8-hour workday as an example to illustrate what I mean.
Most people working a 9-5 will spend 8 hours at work. Ask yourself, do you actually work 8 hours?
Not even close. New research suggests that the average worker spends 2 hours and 53 minutes doing actual work.
In the book “Deep Work”, by Cal Newport, he is suggesting that the human mind is only capable of doing 3 to 4 hours of deep and meaningful work in a day. After that, the quality of work is severely reduced.
When Cal is talking about deep work he is referring to focused work that requires maximum cognitive function. This is the type of work that moves your business forward or produce tangible results.
Shallow work in contrast is more like administrative work that can be done while distracted.
Most high-level CEOs and entrepreneurs know this and usually, schedule their most important activities in the morning when their mind is fresh. They focus on the most important tasks and meetings for 3 to 4 hours during this time.
After that, they tend to work on more shallow work tasks.
With this knowledge, we can do more impactful work while “wasting” less of our precious time.
I have tried this myself and found this to be true. No matter how much I want to accomplish all my tasks there seemed to be a mental limit to the quality of my performance each day. When that limit was reached, I couldn't seem to perform nearly as well as at the start of the day.
Do Nothing, Solve Problems
Then there is also an added component to increased productivity that is often overlooked, and that is the concept of doing NOTHING. Yes, that’s right, taking no action.
By constantly bombarding your brain with impressions and new information you are not letting your mind properly digest information.
Have you ever tried to solve a problem for days only to have the solution pop into your head while doing the dishes?
The reason this is happening is that you are letting your mind work undisturbed. Even when you are not actively thinking, your brain is still working in the background. Give it a problem and the brain will start working on a solution, whether you are conscious of it or not.
Friedrich Nietzsche, the famous philosopher, made it a daily routine to go for a 2-hour walk after he had finished his morning work. He said his most brilliant ideas came when he walked undisturbed in nature. He therefore always carried a notepad with him wherever he went.
Bill Gates is another example of someone who took the idea of “doing nothing” to the next level. Once every year he left the city to go spend a week in a cabin. He called this his “think week”. The goal was to spend time undisturbed thinking, contemplating, and “doing nothing” for an entire week.
Bill credits a lot of his brilliant insights to the time spent “doing nothing” in his cabin.
Conclusions
What I have noticed throughout the years is that it’s easy to get caught up with endless task lists and constantly doing stuff.
It might be a good idea to stop occasionally to ask yourself what your highest leverage activities are to move closer to your goals. What tasks would move the needle in the right direction?
Then allocate deep work sessions for these activities first thing in the morning when you are the freshest. Once the deep work has been completed, shallow work can be performed.
I have also found it beneficial to have a routine where I do nothing on a regular basis. I’m personally a big fan of meditation and meditate for 20 minutes twice every day.
I also try to allocate time during the week when I spend time in nature or when I put away my phone and just do nothing. It’s ironic how sometimes the most productive thing you can do is to stare into a wall (literally).
Have you ever used the concept of deep work? What are your best productivity tips?
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