Big Blocks: One Simple Step to Becoming More Productive
By Joshua on December 31 2007
Imagine standing at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Looking up at this enormous structure, it might seem impossible that human beings could do this all by hand. How did they do it? One block at a time.
One very BIG block at a time.
A lot of the time when we think about how we can be more productive, the first thing that we think of is to break a project down into the smallest possible parts and add them to our to-do lists, where we do one or two at a time. There are two problems with that though.
- When things are broken down into minute tasks, it can sometimes be difficult to keep the end goal in mind, making it harder to remain motivated.
- By working on the little tasks independently, we make it harder to enter the "flow" state which enhances creativity and productivity.
You might be able to build the pyramids with tiny grains of sand. But I don't really want to, and I suspect you don't either.
Personally, I find it very helpful to set aside big blocks of time for large, medium, or even small projects.
It's certainly true that work expands to fill the time allotted to it. But that isn't always a bad thing. Maybe having all afternoon to work on a fairly trivial project will give you fresh insight into how it can become more than a trivial project.
And with large and medium projects, having that time allotted allows me to bring one of my strengths into play: focus & flow. If I am able to focus on one thing for an extended period of time, I often find that I am able to accomplish things a lot more quickly than if I had broken them down into a bunch of separate tasks. And I usually find myself with a better understanding of the project overall, because I am able to hold the entire thing in my mind at once, rather than have to reload everything into memory each time I work on it. I especially find this to be true in design/coding projects
What about you? Do you set aside big blocks of time for some projects? If so, how well does it work for you?
If you don't normally do so, why not?
What our readers said
I find I get distracted really easily, so blocking off big chunks of time doesn’t do me much good. I’ve been much more successful with the whole act of breaking it down into wee pieces and making a to do list. If I try and block off four hours for something, you can forget it. My phone rings, clients email…I have also tried the thing where you don’t do anything but focus on that one project, but I feel like I pay for it trying to get back to people later.
My multi-tasking is an astounding talent I was born with, so I just learned not to fight it. ;)
I totally understand about being distracted. I used to work a combination of web design and tech support, so every time I’d get deep into a design someone would call up asking why their computer wouldn’t connect to the internet. I’m also pretty sure that I’m ADD. :-)
But I often find on reflection that I’m not nearly as efficient multi-tasking as I think I am at the time, since that just exponentially increases the distractions I’m open to.
I actually should have a guest post on Jarkko Laine’s blog tomorrow talking about how to focus on just one thing. Maybe you’ll find that helpful.
Hi Joshua,
Although I do multi-task, if I have a time consuming project, I prepare for it the day before (both mentally and physically). I have my desk cleared off, and the supplies I need laid out neatly. When I “get to work” (we have a home office)in the morning, I am ready to dive in. Although I may have some distractions, I forge ahead and usually don’t stop until I’m done. This method keeps me focused.
If I tried to do a large project in chunks of time, I spend too much time trying to remember where I left off, etc…and usually waste time by doing things twice.
BTW: I have been scouring through your blog. After reading several of your posts, I’m subscribing.
Also, thank you for paying me a visit earlier today.
@Barbara: It’s great to have everything prepared ahead of time so you don’t have to go searching for information or other resources. That’s just one more way to minimize the distractions.
Thanks for subscribing!
I have a notebook where I write down each and every bit of my activity for next several days and spot some bigger plans for the future. It consists few major tasks (couple of hours to complete) and some less important ones (I make them when major ones are complete). It helps, to be sure, but the thing is I’m often distracted and that’s no good :(