For me, there are many times when I am just going along doing what I need to do, and then I find myself “in the zone.” My productivity is soaring and I am getting a lot accomplished. Ever been there? It was as if an internal switch was flip and I was getting things done at warp speeds. Flipping your switch and landing yourself in the zone can sometimes seem like something that happens accidentally and other times you wonder what the heck you’re doing wrong. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With time and understanding, you can learn what can trigger you to flip your switch and as a result, you get A LOT done!
Eliminate External Distractions
External distractions are truly the bane of modern existence. Notifications, ringing phones, other people: whatever the distractions are, do your best to remove them from your environment so you can focus. How many browser tabs do you have open at once? Each one of those can be a visual distractor. How often do you check email? Stick to a task, and concentrate ONLY on that task.
Eliminate Internal Distractions
This doesn’t just mean a growling stomach. Fleeting thoughts, angst over a disagreement with your partner, or your own anxiety. All these things can push at your brain and keep you from finding your own zone. Try journaling out ideas that are on repeat in your mind or meditating to clear the mental clutter.
Find & Work at Your Peak Time
Find the time when you are best able to concentrate and do your best work. Everyone’s peak time is different, and it may take time to find yours. However, discovering at what times of the day you work best will allow you to rearrange your schedule so that you can use your time wisely.
Find Your Groove Music
You may not be a music person, or you know that you always get distracted. In that case, skip this hack. However, for many, the right music can help tune out distractions and help you find your pace and groove to set your work to. If you are leery of this hack, try putting one or two songs on repeat or listening to classical music for an hour or so to see how it goes.
Single-Task
Multitasking, like external distractions, may also be the bane of modern-day existence. It was once hailed as the ultimate sign of a productive individual. However, we now know that multitasking cuts into productivity and equates to tasks taking longer. Try focusing on a particular job for as long as you can, preferably until that task is done. When you first start, this may be a short amount of time, but you can slowly work your way up.
Finding yourself in the zone can be something that you learn to do. But first, you must learn what triggers you to flip the switch and get things done.
HI Paul,
I love short but value-packed posts like this one. What was new for me was recognizing emotions as internal distractions (eg, fight with spouse). So true but I’ve never quite thought of it this way before. Thanks for the insight!
Recognizing emotions as internal distractions (eg, fight with a spouse) is a must if you want to be successful.
Recognizing your own emotional state can help regulate how much mental energy and focus are being directed internally versus externally at any given time of day so that one’s work-life balance isn’t compromised. If left unchecked, it could lead to burnout or worst-case scenario – depression.
Paul, I love your list of tips! Yes, isn’t it wonderful to zip along in The Zone? For a soundtrack, sometimes I just open the office door and quasi-listen to what my husband has on TV. Also, thank you for shooting down the Myth of Multi-Tasking, proven bogus years ago. Great post!
You are welcome, Kebba!
My biggest challenge is saying “‘no” to the many calls I get to help others, just as I sit down to get my planned work done. As for multi-tasking, I learned a long time ago that we are actually switch-tasking, and that just makes both tasks take longer. Thanks for the great insights, Paul.
You are not alone – I am right there with you!
I’ve heard the advice, “Do one thing at a time.”
This takes for granting cutting out all distractions!!
Let’s be honest, we can’t live without distractions. When it comes to multitasking people are often advised to do one thing at a time and focus on the task at hand with no interruptions or diversions from other tasks. But is this really practical?
In my experience of working across many different industries, I have found that most professionals need some form of distraction every day just so they don’t implode! We all know cutting out all distractions isn’t realistic because how would you manage your emails, phone calls and social media if people were not allowed into your office for fear of them distracting you????
Well, I am really atrocious at multi-tasking but not much better at single tasking, seeing that I get excited by anything that looks shiny. But I do find that background music helps tremendously in getting me focused because, instead of being distracted by random sounds, I can focus on the music! All in all, great tips for better productivity.
It’s easy to get distracted by the shiny object syndrome. But in order to stay on top of your game, you need to keep focused on what really matters.
Paul, you are speaking my language. I agree with everything you said. I am now using the time audit process to figure out what makes me tick, to get into the ZONE. Agreed, it’s so grand when you do. I will definitely apply your suggestions. Love music and even add a dance party in the mix to change your physiology for more energy. Thank you!
Music can be a fun way to set the mood, and I’m grateful for the variety of options. Sometimes it’s nice to just listen as background noise, like when I am writing emails or replying to comments on the site (like right now). But other times music is what gets me going; something about my “Play It Loud” playlist makes me feel invincible!
Getting into the zone requires an environment that is at the right temperature for you. Too hot of too cold will pull you out of the zone.
Computers claim to be able to multitask. In reality they are still doing one thing at a time. In order to switch tasks, they have to save what are doing so they know were to resume. Then they have to reload the stored data from the task they are switching to before they can start the new task. This storing and reloading is all wasted instruction cycles. Fortunately they are pretty good at doing this without making mistakes or loosing where they were.
People are not so good at remembering where they were and often make mistakes because of multitasking.
Even when writing, I have found the best thing to do is just write the ideas as they flow. Editing and correcting should be treated as a separate task and tackled after the ideas have finished flowing.
Amen! I will get caught up in one of the “multi” items I may have caught myself doing, and then before I know it… BAM! I remember I was doing something else at the same time and completely forgot where I left off. This is not very productive! Time to stop doing that!
Great tips Paul! I find the most annoying distraction for me is when the phone rings. If I’m doing a project that needs my full attention I usually mute the phone since most are spam calls anyway. Those that need to get me in an emergency are the only calls a program to ring. As for multi-tasking, I don’t think I can ever get passed this but I can still focus on my main task.
I try to keep my phone muted when I need to get things done, but sometimes it’s hard.
I purposefully mute the volume on my phone while doing important work because there are moments where you have a quick idea that needs capturing in an email or note and by not messing with your sound setting at all, it is easier to come up with something more creative.
While I am aware of these, they do require a little work to get going. I am looking at my email way to often and no music for me when I am on the computer, thanks for the reminder.
That’s right. They do require a little work to get going, but it’ll be worth your while in the end! Thanks, Chef!
I’m (what you call a multi-tasker, but in reality) a time-slicer. This helps me maintain my productivity at all times. I get to switch to another task while waiting for a computer to respond, a customer to develop an answer, being on hold with the IRS, etc.
To each, their own productivity enhancements.
I am sure you can get a lot accomplished while being on hold with the IRS!