Your best just got better: Undisturbed processing time

I read through some notes I wrote after a presentation I gave in San Francisco some time ago.

One day, I shared a stage with Dr. Robert Thompson (Washington University School of Medicine). Individually, we spoke to a group of 100 academic surgeons about life/work balance and personal productivity.

While discussing the need to plan a work path and set objective milestones, he spoke about "effort management."

"Not time," he said; it is our effort that we are really allocating throughout the workflow process. As I took notes, I understood that there are two distinct methods of working - sequential (one at a time) and parallel (multi-tasking).

Here's an image I found to demonstrate...

Thank you...

Sequential processing recognizes the need for chunks of precious time and blocks of focused energy as we work on one thing at a time. Parallel processing allows us to get several things done simultaneously.

I can breathe, drive, talk on the mobile phone, and even listen to the radio; if, however, I am going to sit down and work on an article, I like to minimize many of those distractions.

From working with clients in 38 of the United States and five countries, I have learned that everyone has something else they need to be doing. (Most people have a LOT the need to be doing!) What is it for you? A project, a presentation, a review, some piece of work that will require time, energy and focus to complete?

In order to work on it, do you need time that cannot be disturbed, processing without distraction? How do knowledge workers block the time they need to do what they need to complete?

Here are some of the ideas that I have heard (and used):

Block time on your calendar.

Reserve a conference room and go there to do your work.

Unplug the Internet connection to your computer.

Find and work with an accountability buddy.

I would love to hear from you out in the blog world. How can we find, make, create, and discover the time we need to do our sequential (undisturbed and focused) processing?

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