Is Your Productivity Under Attack? Strategies to Safeguard Your Focus
Defend Your Day, Reclaim Your Mind
It’s 4, and it feels like you got nothing done all day.
Why? Your productivity time was stolen from you.
By now, you are exhausted. You might have that hour left to get caught up, but what is the point? Your brain is mush.
How can you safeguard your day to ensure you have time to focus and get your real work done? It is doable, but you must view it as seriously as an attack and then combat it proactively.
Setting Boundaries Isn’t Rude; It’s Revolutionary
I declined an optional meeting, with the intention of getting caught up on some work. My coworker started by sending me a ping to let me know something that was just asked. Then she sent another 5 minutes later. Then another 3 minutes later.
Before I knew it, I was not getting much deep work done. The deluge of pings prevented me from concentrating.
I made the mistake of allowing it at first. But then, I set a gentle boundary, “Hey, let me know at the end of the call if anything else big comes up. Till then, I am going to work on this bug I am trying to fix”
She got it and stopped. Later, during one of our ad-hoc calls, she admitted that pings like that don’t distract her. With three boys, she was unaffected. I explained that my brain could not concentrate. She was completely cool and got it.
Setting my boundaries was not rude. But setting boundaries is revolutionary, as so many are afraid to do it.
Don’t be scared, be a rebel. Your brain’s ability to do deep work later will thank you.
Block It Out or Burn Out: Protecting Your Focus Time
Early in my career, I sometimes ended my day feeling like it had been stolen from me. I felt like I had no time to breathe or focus on what I needed to. It still happens occasionally, but much less than it used to.
Why? I protect my focus time. I block out times on my calendar to focus, generally 1 hour daily. I strategically do this for weeks at a time, months in advance. You never know if you are going to hit a busy period.
To reduce the risk of distraction, I book my focus time during time windows when people usually do not need me as often for meetings or ad-hoc conversations.
If you keep going and going, you will burn out. If you do not even take time to eat, how will your body's engine keep running?
I implore you to block out time now or when you are done reading this. Prioritize your focus time like any other meeting or obligation that comes up at work. Your future self will thank you in a few weeks.
Unapologetically Unavailable: Guarding Your Deep Work Sessions
Do you remember the Voicemail, “I’m sorry, the person at this number is unavailable?”
I’m here to tell you that you do not need to apologize for being unavailable.
You need to take care of yourself. Your company, your colleague, your boss - sure, they care, but ultimately, you must advocate for yourself and the conditions in which you do your best work.
If you are a developer, product manager, engineer, data scientist, etc., the magic most likely happens when you are doing deep work.
Be open about your need for deep work. Non-tech people might not get this. Super extroverts might not get this. Do not assume people get it. You have to be direct on your need for deep work and why.
I challenge you to be open with your leadership team and colleagues. You can drop it into conversation. For example, when I was tasked with a several-month project, I told my manager I needed half days of mostly uninterrupted time. If I had been expected to work quickly between meetings in 30 minutes, we would not have reached the deadline with the minimum viable product. I needed deep focus. It was respected.
There is no need to apologize. Would you apologize for your eye color? No! Say so unapologetically if you need deep work to make your brain work at its optimum level.
Create the environment needed to move into Gamma state - your productivity will thank you for it.
Uninterrupted at Last: A New Standard for Focus
Just a few weeks ago, I got frustrated at my computer and grumbled out loud, “Shut up!” The pings were coming in relentlessly, echoing in my brain, crowding out any innovative thoughts.
It’s a mistake if you think you must set the environment for focus and then you are done. You must be intentional in your effort to preserve your time for deep work.
This is not a one-time deal. Keep explaining when needed that you cannot do the constant pings. Block out your focus time. Be unapologetic in explaining that you do your best work in deep work.
I know it can be annoying to have to repeat yourself. I don’t like repeating myself all the time, but it will save you lots of annoyance later.
Combat the distractions, and protect your time for deep work! You got this!
PS: Last thing - if you are in an environment where, despite your repeated efforts, your need for deep work is not honored, leave. It is toxic for you. Be in an environment that respects you and where you can do your best work. This is not something you can do immediately, but start looking for a way out.
✅ What I’ve been Analyzing this week (reading, watching, listening, etc.)
📖 I’m reading Emotional Intelligence Habits by Travis Bradberry. I read a chapter on how to handle Toxic People. I will be sharing more in some upcoming posts
📺I found this video about how to stretch at your desk. If you are in tech, you know it can be tough to get up sometimes. But, as a key part of self-management, we must maintain our mental and physical health.
✍️ I commented on a post by Elena Calvillo on her Product Release Notes Substack about the power of gratitude and how it can be beneficial for relationship management.
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I empower💪tech people to elevate their empathy, to accelerate their careers
Ironically, that is what I did yesterday. it felt like i've had enough. thanks for sharing.
This article is a great reminder that we must prioritize our time because if we don’t, someone else will! Focus time is also important because humans aren’t great at multitasking; it often reduces our productivity, no matter how skilled we think we are.
Another tip is to pause notifications on your chat apps (like Slack or Teams) during your focus time. Most people don’t expect an immediate response; if something is urgent, they’ll find a way to reach you.