Pandemic Productivity
One of the things about pandemics is that whilst we're all weathering the same storm, our boats are different shapes and sizes.
We're certainly not "all in the same boat". For some people, the answer to "How's lockdown treating you" is sunny and straightforward: "I'm sitting in my garden on furlough, learning crochet/violin/philosophy/delete as appropriate for the level of smugness of your friend" while for others, the answer is more like "arrrrgggghhhhhhhh".
I've found myself in that latter category. It's tough. Having good productivity practices definitely helps, but also it's forced me to adapt in all kinds of ways that I'm not necessarily happy with, but will have to be OK for now. I thought this week I'd share a couple of these things with you, in the hope that any of it might make sense to you help you in the skippering of your own boat:
Attention management is key. It always is. If you've not read Productivity Ninja or need a refresher, you have three types of attention: proactive attention (the two or three hours a day that you're most awake, energised and able to do your very best work); inactive attention (the times, typically at the end of a day or after lunch, where the trick is to give yourself easy, 'mindless list' stuff to do); and then active attention, which is the bit in the middle. The problem with my current world is that so many of those usually optimal hours are spent either minding an annoying but adorable 6 year-old boy, or I've felt compelled to sacrifice some of that 'heads-down, deep work' time that's vital for me in favour of more conference calls and collaboration time (which typically I don't schedule for times of proactive attention). So how can I rectify this? I've found that getting up earlier and going to bed earlier has helped. Snatching an hour of peaceful early morning focussed time is worth two or three hours of average attention later in the day. Since my normal rhythm is completely scrambled, I've taken to being much more flexible - I've been working Fridays for the first time in years and even working a few evenings - but in truth I just have far fewer hours available. It is what it is, so...
Fail faster. If I'm in dad mode, I'm usually really clear with myself that nothing else needs to happen in that time. Just as I want to give full focus to my work, I also want to give full focus to parenting too. I try and ignore or bat away any calls or texts during this time ("I'm with Roscoe - back at my desk tmrw"). Phone blockers like Quality Time and Freedom are also great for limiting how much of your phone you see when you want your focus to be away from work. I've found it's best to try and compartmentalise and switch off the work brain completely. This might mean you're the bottleneck or some stuff doesn't get done, but you can't do everything. Don't try. Let small bad things happen and be OK with it. I also think it's better to put something off than do it badly especially where collaboration with others is concerned. If someone is sat at their desk and they're not juggling childcare, they often have no idea how little time you have to think or respond, or how distracted you are. And for you, with your attention split badly across work and home, you have no idea how curt or rude your responses to emails sound to someone who has the time to properly read and craft polite messages. So just wait til you have time to do it right (or with certain people, in certain circumstances, agree upfront what your comms etiquette is when you're split). I'd be lying if I said this was easy, or that I always get it right, but it's a useful mindset.
Carving out the Chill time. Most of us are programmed to plan our work and then leave the time for relaxation down to whatever energy and time we have left at the end of the day. The problem is, of course, that it's much harder to be intentional and relax WELL when you've used up all your energy and willpower on work and home tasks. So either at the start of the day or the start of the week, think about the question of "what does nourishing, deliberate chill time look like?". Design it. And think about what it doesn't mean. For me the answer to the former usually involves walking, my hammock or a book. And guess what wins more often: Youtube, Instagram and scrolling. You have to carve out the chill. It's vital for your mental wellbeing when so many of life's other simple pleasures - going for a pint, football, eating out, theatres, cinemas, outdoor gatherings - are all taken away from us (although I spent two days this week geeking out on coverage of the baseball draft and which college kids would end up playing for my beloved Toronto Blue Jays in about 2024 - it's no substitute for real baseball games, but I enjoyed it).
Ninja Agility is key. I've actually lost count of how many budgets Think Productive has had this year. I think we're on our fourth or fifth. Things are changing so rapidly. and more now than ever, staying light in the planning and regular in the review of the execution is what wins. Don't spend ages making detailed project plans or scenario plans for things that might never happen. Get clear on their end points, next steps and maybe some rough milestones, and then keep asking yourself the questions as regularly as you need to. We've been doing a weekly Directors' meeting during the pandemic (usually it's monthly), and a weekly dedicated 'Think Productive COBRA' meeting to focus specifically on issues relating to how we respond to the pandemic. Of course, those conversations happen in the team all week and at all hours of the day, but having those focal points to bring it back to the bigger picture has proved really helpful. And of course, if you've fallen out of the habit of doing a Weekly Review, then it's worth noting the power of review to keep you personally agile and comfortable that things are as 'on track' as it's possible for them to be right now.
Multi-task. I know. Multi-tasking is the antithesis of the Productivity Ninja approach. But hear me out. There are things you can juggle alongside childcare, which eliminates them as things you need to think about when you're back in work mode. I've recently used my parenting time to run exciting errands to B&Q to get the bits for my garden hose, used the online food shop as a maths lesson and created fun activities out of gardening, tidying and unloading the dishwasher. Multi-tasking is scientifically proven to be less effective when it comes to work, because it's suboptimal to think about two things at once, but when it comes to dad mode, I find that when I ask the question "how can I make this annoying task a fun activity for my kid?" I can usually find an answer.
6. Always have a beer in the fridge.
On a similar note, on Friday 26th June I'm doing a lunchtime Friday Fireside chat on 'Productivity in a Pandemic' with my friends Laurence and Carlos from the Happy Start Up School.
You can sign up here. It's free.