Most of us spend time being active at work. Attending meetings, checking email, writing memos and doing research.
All of these activities are designed to look like work, but they rarely are. We usually end up exhausted at the end of each, and the feeling of ‘too much to do and not enough time’ haunts us during our dinner and late-night binge-watching.
This leaves us with more problems than we started with, not just just at work.
The constant pressure to “produce” something and the lack of organization create stress and health problems.
There has to be a better way. And there is.
Take the advice from one of the most productive and effective business authors of our time: Jim Collins.
Block Your Time And Organize Your Work
Jim Collins is the author of one the most popular books on business: Good To Great. His other works are just as influential. He is also a consultant, a speaker, a business owner, a runner, a climber and a family man.
How does it fit all of it in? He organizes his time into four blocks.
- Creative Time
- Meeting/Consulting Time
- Random Time
- Recharge Time
Let’s break down each of these time blocks.
Creative Time
This is the time when most of his writing happens. He blocks off four hours each morning for this time. To help with concentration, he turns off all connections to the world and spends time thinking and writing. In his own words, “I need to be in the cave to work.”
Not everyone is a writer, so this might not seem useful. But it is.
Creative time is the time you do your focused work. For example, during creative time:
- Software engineers write code
- Managers review and create weekly plans
- Artists practice their craft
- Construction workers build houses
- Nurses help patients
For most, creative time should be the biggest time block. It should be uninterrupted and focused.
Meeting/Consulting Time
Everyone has meetings. Jim Collins is in meetings every day. He manages his team, consulting with clients, speaking and doing interviews.
For most, this time should be smaller than creative time. Except, perhaps, for managers and people whose job requires face time with people, for example, people in the direct customer service industry.
During this time you will:
- Schedule 1-on-1’s and bigger meetings
- Consult with clients
- Participate in conference calls
- Check in with your people
This is people time.
Note: people in the customer service industry will have this chunk of time as their biggest. It is the nature of the job.
Random Time
Things come up. Errands need to be run, and emergencies dealt with. Some of your time should be left open for things like that.
Jim Collins dedicates about 20% of his workday to this time block. But he can afford it. Most people don’t have the luxury of dedicating 20% of their workday, but 5% should be good enough.
Random time blocks could be used for:
- Scheduling an appointment
- Picking up kids from school because the buses have been cancelled.
- Visiting a colleague in another department
Random time is necessary to handle the unexpected.
Recharge Time
In the late afternoons, before dinner, Jim Collins runs or climbs. This is his recharge time.
Exercise is a great way to recharge and ensure your body and mind are ready for the next day. And your recharge time should include a form of physical activity to keep you in good health.
Recharge time can take many forms:
- Cooking
- Stretching
- Working out
- Reading a book
- Spending time with family
- Watching your favour TV show
This is your time. Do what you need to do to get your mind clear and your body relax.
Recharge time is key to helping you start the next day with vigour.
Today’s Action Steps
To be productive, you must be organized. So start by creating a time-blocking schedule for one day next week:
- 3 Hours: Creative time - where you do focused work
- 3 Hours: Meeting time - where you interact with people
- 1 Hour: Random time - for errands and other things
- 2 Hours: Recharge time - get a good work out in and relax with a book
If one day works, schedule two days for the week after.
Outro
Jim Collin’s favourite quote is from a French novelist, Gustave Flaubert: “Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.”
If you want to be effective at what you do, you must organize how you work.
— And that’s all for this week. See you next Monday.
P.S. I’d love to hear what challenges you are facing in your business. What can I write about to help you personally?