Frank Zappa said it well, “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” Bottom line, you can’t do the same thing and expect a different result. Progress means you have to do something differently. Either you have to change what you do or how (or how much) you do it.
Let’s face it, the reason so many of your goals don’t get realized is because you say you want something but then you don’t change what you’re doing. Because change is hard. It disrupts your patterns and habits. It takes you out of your comfort zone; and who likes to do that?
The key to progress and growth is to shake things up. To do things differently. To create momentum. So here’s a simple 3-step productivity hack to kick your momentum into high gear, especially when you are embarking on something new:
- Take a goal that you want to work on. Write it out on an index card and put it in front of you during the day.
- Give it 15 minutes of undivided attention in the morning.
- Give it 15 minutes of undivided attention in the afternoon.
Why this works: We are a culture that is easily distracted. In fact most of us are being interrupted constantly and continuously throughout our day. In one study conducted by the University of California, workers reported being interrupted every 11 minutes on average. So if you can give 15 minutes of undivided attention to something twice a day, you are beating the odds and you’ll start seeing some real momentum.
The key here is “undivided attention.” Sequester yourself behind closed doors, ignore your phone, don’t answer emails and do whatever else it takes to truly focus on the task at hand without distractions and interruptions.
This is not the time to multitask. If you’re like the many folks who believe that multitasking is the key to getting everything done, I’m here to tell you it’s not. The research is clear on this as well. The truth is we need to stop kidding ourselves about our ability to juggle and recognize that singular focus on doing one task at a time is the way to ramp up productivity.
What’s sorely lacking is focused time on important tasks. And bigger goals are often put off and delayed indefinitely because we don’t feel we have enough time to devote to them. The 15 x 2 Productivity Hack gives you a small but manageable way to give attention to a big goal, one chunk at a time.
By putting attention on an important task or goal, you will also create ‘mental’ momentum. This forward progress will give you a feeling of accomplishment and hope and increase the likelihood of more progress in the future. In other words, momentum begets more momentum. It’s much easier to keep a stone rolling once it’s started moving down the hill!
