Becoming the Master of Your Time

There is no quick-fix or simple answer when you’re trying to master paying attention. I can tell you that whenever my hubby has the T.V. on, that kind of ‘background noise’ doesn’t help me.

Lately, I’ve been researching ways to help me focus better during work times. Whenever I sit down to my computer, it seems the phone rings, someone comes to the door and knocks, the dog wants out, or there is a dilemma brewing that erupts at just that moment in time. Sound familiar?

Although at the moment, having taken on the job of caregiver for a daughter who has cancer, I cannot schedule anything much, let alone my entire day, I still feel that some kind of workable and flexible ‘plan’ is helpful – no matter what your situation. And as far as ‘great minds thinking alike’? Nope; every great artist, writer, or musician structured their day – differently.

For example, Voltaire went to bed at midnight, slept until 4 am., did his best creative work between the hours of 4 am. and noon, book a quickie break until about 1 pm., worked for another ‘creative hour’, did miscellaneous stuff between 2 and 4 pm., gave it another creative go from 4 – 8 pm., finally got hungry enough to eat at around 8:30 pm then went back to creating his brand of genius from 9 pm. until midnight … rinse and repeat.

There were those, like John Milton, Immanuel Kant, Kurt Vonnegut, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Victor Hugo, Darwin, Dickens, and Freud, who carved in some time for exercise - but most great minds scheduled their productive “focused attention” time in vastly different ways (oddly enough, Mozart slept the least of them all which means he probably never dreamed a symphony).

We folks who work from home are especially prone to needing a flexible but scheduled routine. While everyone works differently and has varying methods, they use to help them accomplish whatever needs done, there are a few tidbits of ‘help’ that can make mastering your time easier.

As Gustave Flaubert once stated, “Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.” Well, I’m not sure how ‘violent and original’ you care to be, but here are some simple ways that may help bring more focus into what you want to accomplish today.

Method #1: Try the method of the greats and block out times for things you want/need to do. For me, this is too rigid for my lifestyle right now, but I can tell you it works great for a lot of folks.

Method #2: Try using the “Most Important Task” method by focusing on what’s absolutely necessary to do right NOW, because in truth there really isn’t but a few things each day that are crucial to get done. I tend to lean towards this method due to my current circumstances, but list a “top 3” since I’ve so much to get done. Every morning I ask myself the same question: “What is the main 3 things I’ll need to do today?”

Method #3: This method is technically called the Pomodoro Technique, although I never realized that when doing it! Years ago, I admit to having a 4-year period where I smoked (yuck, I know – right?). During those years it was all about working in short but very focused time slots then giving myself a smoke break. I never used a timer (most people like to use one), but I broke my tasks into blocks where I’d chose a task to do, then give it all my energy for a short period of time, then award myself with a smoke break. I’ve always wondered if this stemmed back to my childhood and that big award sticker poster my mom had for us kids: we’d do a chore, get a sticker.

Method #4: The 90-minute attention-grabber method is based on our body’s cycles, or rhythms, during which there is a peak (we have the energy) and a slump – called a trough – where we become tired. In this manner we take advantage of those “I feel great” times to do focused work, then rest when the slump hits. While coffee drinkers are probably thinking “I could go all day feeling great as long as I can have my coffee,” they’ll also agree that even with lots of caffeine, their energy usually crashes and burns mid-afternoon.

Method #5: This isn’t a method persay as much as it is a weird way that only works for a few folks, but … if you’re one of those oddballs that can take advantage of it … more power to you! It’s called polyphasic sleeping where you break up your sleep into short, 20-minute cat naps then get up, get focused, and get busy – then it’s back to grabbing another little nap. I personally find this humorous and think I’d never actually get anything accomplished with this technique, but there are people who have decided this is the route they will take to becoming the master of their time. I don’t know about you, but this would never work for me – albeit I’ve not tried it, either.

Because we all have such different lifestyles and demands on us each day, I’d guess you may see yourself as having used a bit of one method and a bit of another, creating a synergistic blend that works for you. BUT – if you need a way to be a better master of your time and attention, finding a mix of one or more of the above methods may just give you the added focus and productivity you want. Either way, having some sort of framework for your day is essential for getting anything done.

Good luck and remember: if you don’t decide what you’re going to do today – and when - someone else will.