| What lessons you can learn from small children! One | | | | adding extra hours in order to get the same amount |
| day I was watching two youngsters, ages 3 and 5, | | | | of work done? |
| playing with bricks constructed out of heavy | | | | Medium Blocks (Grouping Blocks) -- Multi-Tasking Isnt |
| cardboard. The brick blocks came in three sizes: a 10 | | | | Always The Best Option |
| x 16 rectangle, a 10 square, and the standard 3 x 10 | | | | Group as many like activities as possible since you |
| brick size. Over time they spent hours creating | | | | are four times more productive when you can focus |
| structures. At the beginning there was no | | | | on one type of task rather than switching back and |
| understanding of larger pieces providing a stronger | | | | forth among assorted tasks. Constant multi-tasking |
| foundation for the smaller pieces and so things would | | | | slows you down. Activities that can be grouped |
| come tumbling down without using all of the bricks. | | | | include returning non-urgent telephone calls, |
| With lots of trial and error the children discovered | | | | processing your email inbox, filing, and reading. |
| that if they started with the biggest size, they were | | | | The length of this session depends on the work. If |
| more likely to be able to use all of the bricks. | | | | you average about five phone calls at a time, you |
| An effective daily schedule can also be constructed | | | | may only need to block out ten to fifteen minutes. |
| with three types of blocks. How much you can pile | | | | With email, you might need to spend thirty minutes |
| on (your productivity) each day depends on how well | | | | at a time. Any of these can be repeated during the |
| you organize your time. | | | | day. For instance, you might quickly check your email |
| Large Blocks Your Days Foundation | | | | first thing in the morning for ten minutes to handle |
| Make your days foundation an uninterrupted block of | | | | urgent issues, then spend thirty minutes before lunch |
| time when you can focus on difficult, involved | | | | and thirty minutes again later in the afternoon. Stick |
| projects. The ideal length is an hour and a half, | | | | to the amount of time that you have originally |
| approximately twenty percent of an eight-hour day. | | | | allotted rather than letting it trail on. That will keep |
| If you cannot possibly find that length of time, try | | | | you focused on the task at hand and will increase |
| for an hour. Even with 45 minutes of uninterrupted | | | | your productivity. Move what you do not complete |
| time you can get a significant amount of work | | | | to the next block of time. |
| completed because you are not requiring twenty | | | | Small Blocks The New Items and Lower Priority |
| additional minutes after each interruption to get back | | | | Tasks To Be Handles |
| into the flow. As you develop this routine, aim for | | | | New items and lower priority tasks can be worked |
| the hour and a half each day. | | | | on between the other blocks. These might include |
| During this time, do not answer every phone call. | | | | requests for help from a colleague, quick answers to |
| Turn off your general email alerts. If you want to | | | | questions, filling out forms, and other project |
| ensure that a certain person or message gets | | | | components that did not fit into your major blocks, |
| through immediately, set up your software rules to | | | | but that you still have time to work on. |
| notify you of that specific message. When you can | | | | Structuring each day starts with locating a space for |
| block twenty percent of your time, you will | | | | that large block, followed by several medium blocks |
| accomplish about eighty percent of your work for | | | | of grouped activities. Small blocks are then added. If |
| the day. | | | | you do the reverse, which means coming in to work |
| You recognize instinctively that having uninterrupted | | | | and clearing out the small items before you find a |
| time is effective when you arrive at work an hour | | | | time for the most important work, you may wrap up |
| early or stay for a couple of extra hours at the end | | | | the day without handling your priorities. |
| of a day, knowing you will get so much done in that | | | | Why spend extra hours in the evenings on work that |
| quiet time. Why not become more productive by | | | | you could have fit into the day with the right |
| including that quiet time within your day instead of | | | | construction of your schedule? |