I haven't posted in
a little while. Sorry about that. I couldn't post, though. I took a deep dive
this week. No, unfortunately that didn't include any scuba gear--or even water.
I picked a large
project and dedicated a big chunk of time only to that. No distractions. No
multi-tasking. I did a deep dive into something that really matters to me.
And I made huge
progress.
It's far too easy in
our always-connected world to put off doing what's truly important and spend
the day responding to the more urgent, but less important things. We can get so
caught up in what Steven Covey called the tyranny of the urgent that we let the
important things slide.
That great new idea
for making your work project better, but haven't had time to write it all down.
That special trip with your family that you just haven't gotten around to
planning yet. Or scheduling in the time to grow yourself and not just keep
working...none of them are due today. None of them are jumping in your face.
Not like the
hundreds of beeps, dings, rings, and daily tasks that come at us all day long.
Those are demanding. And it's a lot easier to just deal with them--to respond.
It's hard to ignore all that noise and stay focused on the important, but not
urgent things.
I'm not
anti-technology. I had a conversation last night with a friend of mine who has
family in Egypt. Our ability to talk, even video chat, all over the world at
any time of the day is amazing. It's a real blessing. And I run my life with
electronic calendars and to-do lists. I think it's a great way to live.
But if you want to
take your productivity to the maximum level, you have to set aside time for a
deep dive. Peter Drucker said that real thinking work requires at least ninety
minutes and at best three to four hour chunks of time. No distractions. No interruptions.
Serious chunks of time focused on really important things.
I've found that I
can get more done in a three hour deep dive than I can in ten thirty-minute
windows. But you don't have to stop at three hours. This week I dove deeper
than I ever have, curious to see if it would work.
I took four days off
and went to a secluded lake house a mentor of mine graciously let me use. I
brought groceries, turned off my cell phone, and for fifteen hours a day worked
on my second book. I came in with only an outline and left with a finished rough
draft. I didn't leave the house for four days, didn't read a book, didn't turn
on the TV...I only ate, exercised, slept, and wrote (and I only wrote the
book--obviously no blogging).
I've never dedicated
that much time to only one project. And I've never made that much progress so
fast. It took me four years to finish my first book, writing in 30 minute
chunks in the mornings. I've got a lot of editing to do, so I'm not done yet.
But this ultra-deep dive accomplished what could have taken me over a year to
do, if I'd have only picked away at it like before.
What are the
important things in your life you've been putting off? When can you dedicate 90
minutes to it? Three hours? Is there something so crucial that you'd give it
three days? What are you waiting for?
Dive deep, and who
know what you might find?
That's really cool, Scott! That's a huge accomplishment in just 4 days. Looking forward to hearing more.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'd done a lot of prep work, coming up with teaching points & plot overviews (it's a leadership fable). And with all that lined up I spent about 15 hours a day just writing. I wondered if I'd be able to stay focused that long, but turns out I not only could do it--I loved it.
DeleteWay to go Sir! Hope the rest comes together nicely for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll keep you informed as I move from rough draft to something more polished (or at least without typos).
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