Eight Ways to Achieve More While Working
Less
I spend about five hours a day slacking off.
Really: I spend that much time doing stuff I
enjoy, that isn’t on a task list anywhere. I walk through the beautiful
university campus near my house—during the workday. I cook for pleasure. I lay
around on my daughter’s bed reading while she does her homework.
You’re probably thinking, “I could never do
that!! Because I have to [insert 500 good reasons]!” Maybe you now believe that
I am lazier and more pampered than you previously imagined.
Here’s the truth: I slack off not because I’m
lazy or don’t care about being productive. In fact, I’ve found that slacking
off makes me more productive because I slack strategically—meaning that I take
breaks at designated times, for regular intervals, in ways that sharpen my
focus when I sit back down to work.
Strategic slacking has enabled me to
dramatically increase both the quality of my work and the amount I get done in
a given day. It increases productivity because we don’t think or work or create
at the same rate throughout the day.
How fast we work doesn’t just depend on the
difficulty of what we are working on; it also depends on how well our brain is
functioning. Is it well-nourished? Free from stress? Rested and ready to go? To
a large extent, how we answer those questions is within our control.
Here are eight ways to achieve more while working less.
Here are eight ways to achieve more while working less.
1.
Designate time for “THINK WORK.”
Late morning is an excellent time for most
people to tackle their most difficult work, as alertness tends to be high and
willpower is not yet depleted.
I do work that takes a lot of focus at a
standing desk that has a small treadmill under it, on a computer that doesn’t
have an email application. Walking slowly while I work has a lot of positive
outcomes; one of them is that it more or less chains me to my desk. I put my
phone in do-not-disturb mode and close any unnecessary applications or windows
that are open on my computer. I put on my noise-canceling headphones and play
my “listen while writing” playlist.
2. Take “recess” throughout the day.
One survey discovered that very productive employees tend to
take 17 minutes of break time for every 52 minutes of work. Feel free to do
something fun during your break, like watch a funny video or eat a piece
of chocolate (research shows that these activities boost productivity by 10-12
percent). Have a snack and drink a glass of water—both things also increase
focus.
On my breaks I’ll often read an interesting
article, but not one that will be hard to put down after 10-15 minutes. Doing
something of interest energizes people for both the current task and whatever it is that
they work on next. And taking a real lunch break (away from a computer!)
decreases fatigue and increases afternoon productivity. I try to eat mindfully
for a few minutes, really paying attention to the texture and taste of the food
in my mouth. After about five minutes, I let my mind wander (rather than trying
to keep it focused on my food). Staring into space enhances creativity; boredom
is often the precursor for
brilliance.
3. Change things up in the afternoon.
Our self-discipline and ability to focus is
like a muscle in that it fatigues over the course of a day. This makes
afternoons an ideal time to catch up with colleagues or schedule meetings and
appointments.
But afternoons are also a great time to
brainstorm solutions to problems or do other creative work. That’s because we
are often most
innovative when our intellect is fatigued. So when
we’re running out of steam for focused work, and we don’t have the energy to
censor our thoughts too closely, it’s an opportune time to shift gears. (Think
you do your most innovative work late at night? Perhaps it is because you are
too tired to focus. Mind-wandering often leads to
creative insight.)
4. Don’t forget to take recess!
Repeat after me: Taking breaks increases
productivity.
In the afternoon, my recess is an exercise
break. Usually, I take my dog, Buster, for a hike. Getting out into nature is
key. (This can be a patch of grass or a few trees—it doesn’t have to be Walden
Pond.) When we are sick, a view of nature can help us heal
faster. When we are distracted, the sight of nature
can help us regain our focus. And when we are stressed, images of a natural
landscape can slow our heart rates, relax our muscles, and help us feel calm
again. Moreover, natural light in the afternoon delays melatonin production,
which can keep us feeling alert for longer.
As a bonus, pet a dog while you are hiking,
if you have one (or see one): Petting a dogincreases serotonin and dopamine levels (in humans),
hormones that improve happiness and fight depression.
5. Have a really good game plan.
Here’s
the key to an effective task list: Tell your brain WHEN you will complete a
task. Scheduling an unfinished task can make a huge difference in our ability
to focus. When we don’t know when we will do something on our list, our
thoughts will typically wander from whatever it is we are doing to our undone
tasks. Our unconscious isn’t nagging us to do the task at hand, but rather to
make a plan to get it done. Once we have a plan, we can stop worrying about how
much we have to do.
One of the lesser known precursors to getting
into “flow” at work is knowing where you are in your work flow. “That constant
awareness of what is next is what keeps you focused,” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,
professor of psychology and management at Claremont Graduate University and
author of Flow: The
Psychology of Optimal Experiencetold Entrepreneur magazine. “That’s where the engagement comes from.”
Before I leave my desk each day I clean up my
task list and schedule the next day’s tasks.
6. Eat dinner with your clan.
Research suggests that this predictable time
together can help protect kids from the perils of modern society (drugs and
alcohol, risky sexual behavior, eating disorders). Fortunately, it is good for
adults, too—it is the glue that keeps my husband and I connected and laughing
together, and that connection is key to staying in the sweet spot.
7. Establish a predictable—and technology-free—bedtime
routine.
You might think that bedtime routines are for
toddlers, but sleep experts recommend them for adults, too, to cue our minds
that we are shifting into sleep mode.
I make myself a cup of herbal tea to drink in
the evening while I read. While the water brews, I take my vitamins, including
Omega-3s, which lubricate the brain, reduce inflammation, and generally
contribute to our health and happiness.
At 8:30 or 9:00 pm, I shut off my email,
social media, and cell phone for the evening. My bedtime routine includes
listening to an entertaining audiobook while I put clothes away and neaten up
the house. Even though I only listen for 10 or 15 minutes, pairing cleaning up
with reading motivates me to actually clean up. I also make sure everything I
need for the morning is in its place.
At 9:15 pm, I make a quick pit stop in the
hot tub and have a little downtime with my hubby. Our body temperature
naturally dips before we go to sleep, and when we soak in a hot tub, our
temperature rises—but the rapid cool-down immediately afterward signals to our
body that we are headed to sleepy town. I stay in the tub for just 10-15
minutes, and get out before I break a sweat. Bonus: One study showed that taking a hot bath daily for eight weeks
was more effective than an anti-depressant at fighting anxiety!
8. Get enough sleep!
I know, I know, you don’t have time to get
seven or eight hours. Maybe you wish you could get more sleep, but you just
can’t find a way to put sleep above your other priorities.
So what are your other priorities? Your
health? Your happiness? Productivity and success at work? Raising happy and
healthy children? Here’s the truth: You will not fulfill your potential in any
of these realms unless you get the sleep your body, brain, and spirit need.
A mountain of research shows that sleep affects
virtually every aspect of our lives, including our intelligence, our
satisfaction with our relationships, our moods, our athletic performance, and
our ability to learn and retain information. Even 20 minutes of sleep
deprivation three days in a row can dramatically lower your IQ.
Now, it’s your turn. Go ahead: Be a slacker!
Let us know in the comments your favorite (and most productive) ways to slack.
By Christine Carter |
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