Getting Distracted? Try “Reverse Containment”
How to Get More Done in Less Time by Giving Distractions a Place to Live
Do you ever get to the end of your day and wonder where the time went?
That’s a normal experience for entrepreneurs, but then again, it’s also normal to go out of business within the first two years. You can do better than that.
Let’s fight back against the waves of distraction that try to wash away your progress every time you start making any headway. We’ll begin by using the power of foresight to build a barrier against the tides of distraction.
Start by thinking about your personal time as an asset you want to carefully invest. Some things you invest your time in will have a significant ROI. Others won’t. Your job is to get better at differentiating between the two. Here’s how.
Start with your business goals. Does your calendar reflect those goals?
For example, if you value the idea of hiring a business development manager to bring in new sales, where does that goal show up on your agenda for today or this week?
What’s that? You don’t use timeboxing to create an agenda for allocating your time? Then it’s time to start. Otherwise you’re letting your inbox, your emotions, and your employees decide where you invest your time.
It’s human nature. You’ll spend your time on whatever gets your attention, and we both know it’s not your long-term goals that ping you with notifications all day. Rather, the things that get your attention are the little distractions that arrive in the form of notifications from Slack, email, text messages, and phone calls.
Because they’ve grabbed your attention, these distractions automatically feel urgent. That’s true even if the ROI on that time investment is very low.
The truth is, if you don’t carve out time on your schedule and protect it like the valuable asset it is, you’ll squander your time despite your best intentions. That’s why you need timeboxing. It’s like a budget for your time. And just like a monetary budget, the way you invest your time should reflect your goals.
