Post: #1

I have heard that highly productive people time block their activities each day. So, do you do it?

Post: #2

Most weeks I do, but I'm on the bench this week enjoying my couch and doing very little.

Most weekdays I have dedicated blocks of time for my workouts, catching up on news in my industry, and of course the various tasks I have for the day. If I finish a task early, I find some way to entertain myself until the next task. I use free time mostly for reading or working through math/physics problems.

Post: #3

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I am incorrigible with FB/twitter/RVF and a range of other internet distractions.

I split up my daily deliverables into tasks that explicitly require communication with people and others that can be done without an internet connection. I spend most of my day without an internet connection so that I'm forced to work for long chunks of time with no distractions. Then I'll have a 30-60 minute period at the beginning and end of every day during which I brief my employees and then have a review at the end of the day to see what they produced or closed - depending on if I'm talking to design team or sales/marketing.

Discipline is hard.

It's better to physically isolate yourself in an environment where going on FB/RVF requires you to move your body some distance in order to get on.

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Post: #4

(03-05-2013 02:04 PM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  -

I am incorrigible with FB/twitter/RVF and a range of other internet distractions.

I split up my daily deliverables into tasks that explicitly require communication with people and others that can be done without an internet connection. I spend most of my day without an internet connection so that I'm forced to work for long chunks of time with no distractions. Then I'll have a 30-60 minute period at the beginning and end of every day during which I brief my employees and then have a review at the end of the day to see what they produced or closed - depending on if I'm talking to design team or sales/marketing.

Discipline is hard.

It's better to physically isolate yourself in an environment where going on FB/RVF requires you to move your body some distance in order to get on.

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The computer is a blessing and a curse.

It's the greatest distraction device ever created by man, yet it is also the most powerful tool if we can just manage ourselves enough to maximize its power.

Doing any task requires willpower and the ability to tolerate discomfort. We distract ourselves with things that are pleasurable then rationalize that we are "just taking a break".

It becomes a constant struggle to stay focused with a computer, and especially an internet connection.

I've been thinking about doing this with my spanish learning materials.

Then again, even if I don't have internet, I'm sometimes tempted to just space out.

As for blocking time, I usually find it valuable because it takes me a long time to switch between tasks. That's something that people with ADD have, and probably have ADD (or whatever that means).

Two hour blocks are pretty good. Within those blocks you can have shorter periods where you challenge yourself with the more difficult aspect of your topic.

Post: #5

I do when I'm being productive.

My block goes like this (with a timer):

Block 1:
50 minutes of focused work
10 minute break
50 minutes of focused work
10 minute break

30 minute break

Block 2
50 minutes of focused work
10 minute break
50 minutes of focused work
10 minute break

and so on...

Credit for this pattern goes to Eben Pagan - Wake Up Productive series.

Is this what you meant by time blocking?

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #6

One of my favorite podcasts, Fitness In Post, just had a podcast on time blocking. It's crazy how powerful this stuff is and I'm always blown away by how much I can get done in a time block.

I do time blocks as stated above... 50 minutes of laser-focused work, SelfControl app running on the computer, phone face down and in Do Not Disturb mode (I have family members and a few select work contacts on my favorites and will hear calls from them, but all other calls/texts/Tinder notifications/etc. are silenced), then either take a 10 minute break or stop timeblocking if appropriate.

The guiding principle is that we can not multitask, only switch quickly between tasks. For those of you with sedentary desk jobs who inexplicably feel tired after a day of sitting at a desk, part of what's making you tired is the switching back and forth between work and Facebook/GChat/iPhone stuff/etc... it's actually exhausting your brain. Give timeblocking a try.

Post: #7

I used to do the pomodoro method, but sometimes you just get on a productive roll for a few hours. Why stop your momentum?

Then there's other days you might get really absorbed into a new interest eg I spent the other day researching tonnes about testosterone therapy. It might not be your Most Important Task but is it really not valuable?

Focus ebbs and flows, these days I have a far more unstructured daily routine.

But to ensure I don't procrastinate too much I have reminders, goals, to do lists etc to remind me that yes - there is urgent shit to do.