This is a Guest Post by Ian McConnell.
I’ve just had one of those days where everything just fell into place. I was completely in the zone. Task after task got completed effortlessly. Stuff was just falling into place, things were going right and everything just got done. I even completed 4 extra tasks that I hadn’t planned to do today. It’s a great feeling, but I have come to realize that some people struggle to find this zone and don’t enjoy as many of these highly productive days as they should.
It seems that it is more common to have days where small things go wrong and disrupt the day. The computer decides to do an update when it starts up, the browser is slow and unresponsive, the password program can’t find the password that was saved yesterday, etc. Most of these small problems are unavoidable 100% of the time. But, if you are trying to manage your time and tick off the items on a lengthy to-do list, these small problems will undoubtedly add frustration and stress to the mix.
So, how do you get in the zone more often?
I’ll tell you how I did it.
1) I threw out my to-do list.
2) I deleted my time management system which was my Google calendar
Yes, I deleted every repeating task in my Google calendar. These were repeating tasks like write an article on Monday at 9am to be finished and submitted to the article directories by 10.30am. Monday 10.45am to 12noon scan the warrior forum for people I could help out. 1pm to 4pm create new Insiders Club content and so on. I had booked up nearly every minute of my 8 hour working day, with a task for the rest of my life. That was thanks to the power of repeating tasks that never end in digital calendars. It felt good when I initially set up all these weekly tasks. I felt organized. But, after a few weeks of trying to stick to my time management plan, I knew it wasn’t going to work.
Are you sometimes in the right mindset when doing your tasks?
9am Monday would come around and my calendar said I should be writing an article. But, I just wasn’t in the right mindset or zone to write an article. I would force the issue, thinking I needed to be disciplined and get this article done. The article would then take 2 hours (or more) to write and I had scheduled an hour to write it and half an hour to submit it. I then had to adjust my schedule for the rest of the day and usually something didn’t get done at the end of the day, or it got rolled over to the next day. This then compounded the problem the next day.
Not all daily tasks could be accomplished as written on your to-do list.
However, I did notice that on some days at different times I was finding the article writing zone. It just seemed to flow and the article writing was so much easier. But, those times tended to vary. By moving that task to a different day or time slot would work one week but not the next. It seemed like just knowing that task had to be completed put me in the wrong mindset.
I needed a system that was much more flexible and took into account what I actually felt like doing. A system where I worked in the zone 80% of the time instead of 20% of the time. You may be thinking that’s just a lack of discipline. I should have got a timer out and forced myself to get the article done… I tried and it didn’t work. I would get the article done but days later would go and adjust it because the quality just wasn’t good enough.
I tried outsourcing the articles but ended up rewriting them because this material had to be in my voice. Outsourcing articles works great for my niche sites, but not for my personal blog. I had to do the writing so people experienced the real me. Then one day I heard Tony Robbins talk about chunking. Chunking is where you group tasks together which when completed will produce a specific result.
Get rid of to-do lists and go to chunk……
An example of a weekly chunk with a specific result is “Build a list of 1,000 subscribers”. There are no to-do lists or scheduled tasks. Just the chunk, that needs to be completed by the end of the week. I tried it and it worked very well for me.
Here is how I apply it:
I review my monthly goals on a Saturday afternoon and then I create 3 chunks. Saturday afternoon suits me because I’ve had a morning away from the business and I’m usually more relaxed. I create 3 result based chunks which must be completed by the end of the next week. I write these chunks on a post it note and attach it to my computer monitor. It’s a quick and easy system, but as I relax on Sunday it’s amazing how some great ideas pop into my head. On Monday morning I always start the day off, like most week days, with a 40 to 60 minute walk. On the walk is when I contemplate which chunk I’ll start with and what tasks I’ll complete that day.
After a shower and breakfast I’m ready to get to work. My mindset is in the right place, my body is energized and I usually start with the easy tasks, or the ones I know I can knock over quickly, because that builds momentum for the tasks that are not so exciting. I found that by removing the long to-do lists and strict time management it eliminated the overwhelm and has allowed me to be flexible with my days. I also don’t check emails until I have completed what I wanted to do for the day.
I don’t have a start and end time for work!
I start the day and if I’m in the zone I milk it for everything it’s got. If it’s one of those days where small things are going wrong and I struggle to get in the zone I’ll read a book, watch the latest launch video, grab a coffee and try again in an hour or two. As an entrepreneur I believe I have to be flexible. I’m a player in a game and have to be constantly looking for the 20% of my efforts that are working and work more on those. Sometimes a rigid time management system doesn’t work. You may feel like you are busy, but you are busy with the wrong things.
Ian McConnell is a regular VBL reader and supporter. He’s built a full time income online in the last 3 years. Check him out at http://inmyhomeoffice.com, where you’ll also find links to him on Twitter and Facebook!
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Great post Ian.
I don’t necessarily agree with throwing your to do list out the window completely lol but knowing when you are at your most productive and going with that flow is a must … you never know if the next day may turn out to be “one of THOSE days” when a walk and a visit to the local coffee house might be more productive
.
Very insightful information though, thank you for sharing.
Couldnt agree more with you on this ‘coffee house’ comment, Tracy. I regularly work out of Starbucks, and find my time there pretty much ALWAYS productive, in some way, shape or form.
Thanks for commenting on Ian’s cracking post, too!
C
Good article Ian. I like the idea of “chunking” your time, and planning on Saturday.
Thanks!
I had the exact same problem that you mentioned, Ian. I was struggling to keep track of everything I needed to do, so I made a very detailed to-do calendar with scheduled tasks, but it just seemed to make everything worse. I now I had a list of everything I had to do, but I was getting even less done! Tasks were being pushed over to the next day, which in turn pushed other tasks further down the week, and on it went.
I will definitely try this chunk method you described, though I think I’ll add some tasks on each post-it note that will help me complete the main task. I just won’t put due dates, etc. that put pressure on me to complete the task even when I’m not in the zone. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Priscilla
I also used to do this – schedule ‘tasks’, and I found myself procrastinating a lot and just sliding them from one day to another, or from one time slot to another in iCal.
‘Chunking’… You could be onto something here, Ian. Do you have an idea for a ‘productivity’ product and a domain in place already..!?!! If so, I’d jump on it.
C
I do Chris… It’s amazing how opportunities just seem to pop up everywhere. I already teach this productivity stuff in my free course, but I might just break that portion out and sell it as a stand alone product.
I think you should…
It’s a solid enough niche, within a niche, so to speak. Go for it, man.
After a little more research, obviously!
C
Hi Ian
At the moment, I personally couldn’t live without my to-do-list however, this has been converted into a time management software “click clock”. Little things can be forgotten about and having them somewhere helps me focussed on what and when I need to do it and ensure that absolutely nothing gets missed
I do however agree with you that ‘creativity’ does come at different times of the day and perhaps not at all in a whole day so planning that is difficult however, I have little post it’s throughout the house and when I’m doing my “non work” commitments and an idea comes into my head, I quickly jot it down for later. By the end of the day, I usually have a general idea of what I want to write about.
I have just launched my website (today) Yipeeee – And I have a whole host of blogs waiting to be published, and all from my post it pad random ideas.
I think everyone is different and as you know, different systems work for different people. So for now, I need to stick with my time management software and my little post it’s.
I do however commend your bravery in throwing it away!
Thank you Chris for a great guest post.
No problems, Martha.
I think we’ve uncovered a nice topic here, in terms of the creative aspect of productivity – and vice versa.
I’d love to hear from you guys out there that do different things, at different times to remain productive and creative, at the same time. Maybe a potential post in it for the future. Just email me, peeps!
C
Martha, the post-it’s are a good idea to get those thoughts out of your head onto something that can be acted upon later. I use a journal so I don’t have pieces of paper everywhere. You don’t want to be writing on a post-it and then transferring the post-it information into a notepad, word doc, mindmap, etc. That just adds to the clutter and unnecessary duplication.
Congrats on getting your website up, it’s an exciting time. But I’m concerned that you said “I have a whole host of blogs waiting to be published…” Please don’t make the same mistake I made… it cost me about $240k of lost income because I spread myself too thin.
Your Martha’s SOS website is a good concept, looks great and the video is killer… But, if you don’t put your full energy behind this one website, it could become another statistic.
Researching an idea takes some effort, but it hugely improves the liklihood of success. Building the website is the easy bit, but the hard work is getting a consistent stream of new visitors to that website and optimizing the website to perform.
It takes a huge amount of effort to optimize a website and generate momentum, but when you get it right the rewards are massive. When you start trying to optimize 2, 3 or 4 different blogs at the same time, your efforts are usually diluted so much that your results are dismal…
And I don’t mean optimizing your website for the search engines. I’m talking about testing which blog posts get the most optins or sales, which ones created a flood of comments, which ones had a high bounce rate, length of stay, etc. and then doing more of the stuff that works…
Focus on one website and when you’ve got great momentum, only then do you move onto the next one…
I hope this lengthy comment helps… You can probably tell that I am very passionate about this stuff
Ian
I agree to some degree. I can’t throw my to do list completely out the window because i do forget to do things. But, i like the idea of chunking. Also, finding out your rhythm has worked for me. I write best in the morning. So, i always write in the morning. I take breaks too to clear my mind. I have three kids at home, so i when i have a moments break, i take advantage of it and try to squeeze in more to do items. . They don’t care about my schedule.
Hi Annie
Yes, its terribly inconsiderate of kids not to appreciate your time and schedule, isnt it..!!??! LOL
It seems a lot of people like to write first thing, for me, I find I do my best stuff at night – late!
C
Annie, that’s the wonderful thing about internet marketing, is the flexibility and leverage available. I’m with Chris in that I tend to be more creative very late at night…
Thanks Tracy… I dare you to hide your to-do list for a week and test the chunking method. You will be amazed at how much easier you get into the zone.
To-do lists clutter people’s brains and they don’t allow that true entrepreneurial side to come out.
Have Fun!
Ian McConnell
Western Australia
Thanks again for the great guest post, Ian.
Seems you struck on a chord that a lot of people struggle with – good stuff!
C
Cheers Chris, thanks for the opportunity…
That’s not a bad idea.
Well anything has to beat the to do list.
I think anythng that goes on my to do list is doomed to never get done (hey I’m writing in red and it’s irritating me)
In fact, I have actually created a very good system whereby the to do list is actually located over the too hard basket. This way, when the list gets too full I simply sweep it straight into the basket and start again.
Yep, so far it’s working great (this red is really annoying for some reason) as you can imagine.
There is also the problem that i get distracted really easily – something you probably picked up on… damnit red font?!?!
Anyway, thanks for the post and for sharing this tactic. Glad its ‘s worked for you – I’ll see how i fair
Alex, that’s funny… But, a valid point. I like the red, makes me feel like I’m typing faster
I get annoyed because it won’t allow me to go up a line and edit my comment. I wonder how many people have tried, got frustrated and deleted their comment instead of submitting it… And until now Chris probably didn’t realise this was the case…
Your comment about the to-do list over the too hard basket reminded me of a sub-contractor I used to employ when I owned my electrical contracting business.
He would lose every bit of paper we would give him and would never go back and fix little problems. The amazing thing was that he was our best subbie and we made the most money from him. Because he never went back to fix the little problems, 95% seemed to mysteriously disappear…
It frustrated me back then, but I quickly learned that his way was actually the better way. He was a master at zoning in quickly to where the money was and getting the job done.
While the other subbies where compiling a list of parts they would need for the day and checking if they had worked out the shortest distance to the client’s premises, this guy was on the road and into the first job.
You could draw the same comparison between the internet marketer that creates a detailed to-do list, to the person that just gets stuff done. Getting stuff done gets you closer to the prize.
I think there’s a lot to be said for project based ‘task lists’. or “Chunks”. That way at least you can ensure that you’re only working on important stuff and you won’t get lost in the noise.
Thanks for sharing your system Ian.
Matthew
Agreed, Matthew.
I’ve actually started doing it myself a little, integrating it into my own systems. Which are about as simple as they come – but, do tend to ‘slip’ every now and then.
This post (and its comments) just goes to show you that nobody has a monopoly on good ideas. Just great!
C
That’s exactly it Matthew, the noise (or clutter) is the productivity killer…
Ian,
Your system sounds something I want to try very soon
It’s seems to be very flexible and takes into account of your mindset – I like that.
However, I have couple of questions to ask you related to your system:
- If you are not able to finish your 3 chunks by the end of the week, do you just move them to next week?
- Is the 3 chunks a fixed figure for each week so that’s the maximum number of things you try to accomplish every week?
- Also, if you happen to finish you weekly chunks by Wednesday, do you create additional chunks for the rest of the week?
Hi Timo,
I make sure those chunks are finished in the week. With a little experience you will learn how big those chunks should be. In the beginning if I thought the chunk would take 1 day, I would allow 2.
I use 3 chunks because it was enough to provide variety but not too much that I couldn’t get them done.
If the chunks are finished for the week by Wednesday, it’s time to play… However, as you get used to the system you will get very good at creating chunks that fill the working week.