Some of you had lots to say regarding our last Point about “the swarm” —that’s what we call all those nagging, get-in-your-way, mundane things that take up so much of our valuable time each day. You wrote:
- “Dead on, brother. I needed that!!!”
- “Never thought of the stuff as a ‘swarm,’ but it’s a great descriptive word. And it’s all over me!”
- “Darn swarm gets me all the time… Call me ‘Captain Swarm’ with big-picture lists, some completed and others not. Keep them coming. I always need reminding.”
- “This one is a very good topic, and I can’t wait to see your next email. We are all faced with this one …”
If you missed what they’re talking about, go to http://bit.ly/JP8S6S.
It’s a fact that we all have experience with “the swarm.” Think of your struggles to stay on track at work when the emails are piling up, clients need your attention, the boss is calling and deadlines are approaching. And that’s just at work. As I pointed out last time, the swarm isn’t confined to the office. At the end of the day, there likely are family demands on your time, errands to run, dinner to cook … and weren’t you planning to get some exercise?
Any of us could list dozens (if not more) little, yet urgent, things we have to do each day. But are they really all that urgent? General Dwight Eisenhower once said: “Don’t let what is urgent drive out that which is important. What is urgent is seldom important; what is important is seldom urgent.”
Amen.
With that in mind, let’s talk, during this Point and the next, about taming the swarm—or at least containing it.
Gaining some sense of control is the only way to make progress. I’m defining “progress” as things like actually reaching your work goals, starting (and completing!) that special project you have always wanted to do, getting an article published, putting in place (and utilizing) a CRM system, etc. You know: all of the good, useful, and often necessary, stuff that you’d love to do but just can not find the time to do. What’s stopping you? The swarm!
I’m gonna be real here and share a tough fact. Like it or not, you are going to be “swarmed” anywhere from 80% to 95% of your working day. There is just no way around it. We live in the “interruption age.” We are all way too accessible and have far too many things to do.
But you can work around the swarm by carving out slivers of time each day to concentrate—uninterrupted—on what’s important to you. Make time each day to attend to those things that, once completed, will leave you with a very real sense of accomplishment.
Here are a few of the ways some of my clients create these essential slivers of time: I have one client who gets up early on the weekends, goes to the basement and, from 6 to 8 a.m., every Saturday and Sunday, works on his special projects. He’s relaxed, the kids are asleep and, better yet, there are no distractions. This is his “heavy thinking” time to work on things that are important to him but not necessarily urgent. Another client schedules an “Hour of Power” on his Outlook calendar twice a week to work on his important tasks. He closes his office door, turns off his email, silences his phone and for one hour, twice a week, he focuses on something that needs his attention. Another client goes to his lake house once a month for a day and spends that uninterrupted alone time concentrating on his important tasks.
You get the Point. These are relatively short periods of time that my clients carve out for themselves—silvers actually, when you think in terms of all their waking and working hours. But put to good, focused use, these short slivers add up to time well spent.
Corsini’s Point:
The swarm can be, and often is, simply overwhelming. But you can make progress with a few simple changes to how you work and live. Look for slivers of time to work on your important, but not necessarily always urgent, tasks. Make your “heavy thinking” time a priority; better yet, consider it non-negotiable. Get up early; stay up late. Go to a quiet coffee shop, or just shut the office door and turn off anything that beeps. Make sure you schedule time on your calendar for those increasingly important one or two hours each week to focus on what matters to you. Shut out the swarm! That’s how you gain control.
QUOTE
“Perhaps the very best question that you can memorize and repeat, over and over, is: “What is the most valuable use of my time right now?”
— Brian Tracy