Getting your time back from distractions

As mentioned in a previous article it is very easy to waste an hour each day in the gaps between things. Little pockets of time too small to plan, only enough time to do.

When these pockets appear you need a list of things that you can tackle immediately to avoid wasting that time. This is why reaching for social media is so easy. It has little items, that can be consumed within 10 minutes of less, are already arranged in order of your liking, and much more importantly - can be consumed immediately. Every year this quantity of media increases and the convince of getting it also increases.

Steps 1 & 2 of the customer innovation map are Define and Prepare - understanding what needs to be done and gathering everything you need to start. This applies here - if you only have 10 minutes that is not enough time to first work out what needs to be done, then get what you need to do it, then actually do it!

In those floating 10 and 15 minutes in a day we gravitate to what ever can be done in that time, and media and entertainment apps sit there waiting.

How to get your hours back

Spending time on media is not bad - unless you have more important work that needs doing that gets left undone because you either don’t know the next step, have the resources to do it or both.

In Getting Things Done the author talks about a “Next action list” - what we need is a list of small tasks that are well defined, and have links (or otherwise) to everything that is needed to start them.

You need a list of things you can just pick up and start immediately in those floating minutes during the day.

Example

Trying to read a book but are too busy? Make a list of page numbers (e.g. 1-10, 11-20 etc), that can be read in 10 mins or less, and have the book handy (or in a well known place). When a pocket of time opens you have a clear item that is known, can be started immediately and will finish in less than 10-15 minutes.