Originally published Nov 17, 2021 on Medium
By all accounts, I think we can agree that 2020 was rough.
I worked all the time as a distraction from the global pandemic but ended the year exhausted and feeling like I did not accomplish anything. Why? I was unfocused and didn’t protect time for deep work.
“Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task” — Cal Newport
The most recent notification to hit my inbox became the top priority and I completed it right away. Clearing these small “less of a priority” tasks gave the illusion of productivity, but all high-priority tasks that required deeper focus would roll into the next day, causing a lot of stress.
At the end of 2020, I took a step back and decided to make some changes to this hectic schedule. I developed a working strategy that prioritized longer sessions of focus and thoughtfulness critical for my high-priority tasks.
Identify productive hours and try out different schedules
To identify my best deep work hours, I thought about times of the day (mornings, afternoons, or evenings) when I am the most productive and times when I get really irritated when someone interrupts me. I chose to block those times in my schedule when I want to work undisturbed.
Then, I experimented with different schedules for a few months and tried to stick to the schedule I chose. If I was unable to keep the time clear for deep work after 2 weeks, I tried something new because it was clear that schedule was not working for me.
As I experimented with different schedules, I communicated my goal to my team and to anyone else it might affect. This way they weren’t surprised when I asked to change a meeting time, or I sent a storm of Slack messages at 10pm while their notifications were paused.
One schedule I tried for a few months in 2020 was to keep one day a week meeting-free. This did not work for me because it didn’t allow me to be flexible with others’ schedules. In the end, it created more stress and even some guilt that I couldn’t maintain the schedule. I also made the mistake of trying this schedule for several months, while I should have realized it wasn’t working earlier and experimented with something new.
Another reason this schedule failed for me was because it was disruptive to the rest of my week’s routine; daily habits are the easiest for me to follow and reinforce. Having one clear day for deep work was not routine enough for me to maintain it.
Deep Work Mornings
I’m a morning person. Yes, the annoying type that gets up before their alarm and is peppy, clear, and fresh first thing in the morning.
In 2021, I started to block my calendar, every day, from 6am-12pm for deep work.
6am-9am is now reserved as personal time (exercise, reading and writing), and from 9am-12pm I’m focused on professional work with no interruptions. With this schedule, I allow for no disruptions. I dive right into the hardest tasks first and find myself getting into the flow quickly, completing a surprising amount of work in a short amount of time.
With my mornings blocked for deep work, I start the afternoon having made progress on my biggest and most important tasks while my mind is the most clear. Then, I schedule my meetings for the afternoon, and I have more energy and am in a better mood. In between meetings, I can knock off the smaller tasks (responding to emails, etc.) and achieve that small sense of accomplishment.
Setting and maintaining boundaries
Surprisingly, I’ve only had a handful of instances where I’ve had to bend on my rule and allow a morning meeting. With over 40 hours of available meeting time (12pm — 8pm) every week, I can typically find a time that accommodates most of my meetings and their time zones.
If I must accept a meeting in the morning, I try to schedule it at 11AM and I try to limit it to one or two days a week, maximum, so that most of my week has mornings free.
Results
Setting this routine and consciously protecting my time for deep work has been the best change I have made as a professional. I can’t stress enough how much of a positive impact this has made in my life.
Not only has my stress decreased, but I also complete tasks in less time with more energy.
In this extra time, I’ve been able to make time for personal growth, like finding time to write and publish on Medium!
What’s your routine? Comment and talk about how you carve out time for your deep work.
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