/// Topics
/// Tips
No one likes the feeling that other people are waiting –
impatiently – for you to get back to them.
At the beginning of the day, faced with an overflowing inbox, a list of messages on your voicemail, and the to-do list from your last meeting, it's tempting to want to “clear the decks” before you start on your own most important work. When you're up-to-date, you tell yourself, your mind will be clear and it will be easier to focus on the task at hand.The trouble with this approach is that you end up spending the best part of the day on other people's priorities, running their errands, and giving them what they need. By the time you finally settle down to your own work, it could be mid-afternoon, when your energy has dipped and it's hard to focus on anything properly. “Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be better,” you tell yourself.
But when tomorrow comes round there's another pile of emails, phone messages, and to-do list items. If you carry on like this you will spend most of your time on reactive work, responding to incoming demands and answering questions framed by other people. It's a never-ending hamster wheel. And it will never lead to remarkable work, in Seth Godin's sense, “worthy of being remarked on.” We don't find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded, or when we are surprised by something completely unexpected.
The single most important change I've made in my own working habits has been to start doing things the other way round – i.e. begin the day with creative work on my own top priorities, with the phone and email switched off. And I never schedule meetings in the morning, if there's any way of avoiding it. This means that whatever else happens, I get my most important work done – and looking back, all of my biggest successes have been the result of making this simple change.
We don't find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded.
These days, I have two popular blogs that bring me plenty of new business. I have e-books, training programs, an e-learning program, and a network of great contacts I can call on for help. I have qualifications, and more importantly the knowledge and skills I acquired through my studies. All of these things are assets that create ongoing value for my clients and for my business. Yet there wasn't a single day when I sat down to write each individual essay, blog post, training plan, or e-book chapter, without a string of people waiting for me to get back to them.
It wasn't easy, and still isn't, particularly when I get phone messages beginning “I sent you an email two hours ago...!”
By definition, taking this approach goes against the grain of others’ expectations, and the pressures they put on you. It can take an act of willpower to switch off the world, even for an hour, during the working day. For some strange reason, it feels “unprofessional” to be knuckling down to work in this way.
The thing is, if you want to create something truly remarkable, it won't be built in a day. A great novel, a stunning design, a game-changing software application, a revolutionary company – this kind of thing takes time, thought, craft, and persistence. And on any given day, it will never appear as “urgent” as those four emails (in the last half-hour) from Client X or Colleague Y, asking for things you've already given them or which they probably don't really need.
So if you're going to prioritize this kind of work – your real work – you may have to go through a wall of anxiety in order to get it done. And you'll probably have to put up with complaints and reproaches from people who have no idea what you're trying to achieve, and can't understand what could be more important than their needs.
If you're going to prioritize your real work, you may have to go through a wall of anxiety in order to get it done.
Yes, it feels uncomfortable, and sometimes people get upset, but it's much better to disappoint a few people over small things, than to sacrifice the big things for an empty inbox. Otherwise you're sacrificing real productivity for the illusion of professionalism.
Here are a few tips to help you make the switch:
1. Creative work first, reactive work second.
Either start the day on your creative work, or make sure you block out time for it later in the day – preferably at a time when you typically feel energized and productive.
2. Tune out distractions.
You know the drill – email off, phone off, work from home if you can, stick your headphones on if you can't.
3. Make exceptions for VIPs.
Don't be reckless. If you're working with a client to a deadline, or your boss needs something urgently, treat them like VIPs and give them special access – e.g. leave the phone on and answer if they ring (everyone else gets the voicemail).
4. Be really efficient at reactive work.
You can't ignore everybody all the time. The better your productivity systems, the more promptly you'll be able to respond to their requests – and the more time you'll have free for your own work.
--
Over to You
Do you agree that ‘creative work first, reactive work second’ is the key to creating remarkable things?
How do you prioritize work on important-but-not-urgent projects? What benefits have you gained from doing this?
--
Mark McGuinness helps artists and creatives achieve remarkable things at Lateral Action and Wishful Thinking. For bite-sized inspiration follow Mark on Twitter.
At the beginning of the day, faced with an overflowing inbox, a list of messages on your voicemail, and the to-do list from your last meeting, it's tempting to want to “clear the decks” before you start on your own most important work. When you're up-to-date, you tell yourself, your mind will be clear and it will be easier to focus on the task at hand.The trouble with this approach is that you end up spending the best part of the day on other people's priorities, running their errands, and giving them what they need. By the time you finally settle down to your own work, it could be mid-afternoon, when your energy has dipped and it's hard to focus on anything properly. “Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be better,” you tell yourself.
But when tomorrow comes round there's another pile of emails, phone messages, and to-do list items. If you carry on like this you will spend most of your time on reactive work, responding to incoming demands and answering questions framed by other people. It's a never-ending hamster wheel. And it will never lead to remarkable work, in Seth Godin's sense, “worthy of being remarked on.” We don't find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded, or when we are surprised by something completely unexpected.
The single most important change I've made in my own working habits has been to start doing things the other way round – i.e. begin the day with creative work on my own top priorities, with the phone and email switched off. And I never schedule meetings in the morning, if there's any way of avoiding it. This means that whatever else happens, I get my most important work done – and looking back, all of my biggest successes have been the result of making this simple change.
We don't find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded.
These days, I have two popular blogs that bring me plenty of new business. I have e-books, training programs, an e-learning program, and a network of great contacts I can call on for help. I have qualifications, and more importantly the knowledge and skills I acquired through my studies. All of these things are assets that create ongoing value for my clients and for my business. Yet there wasn't a single day when I sat down to write each individual essay, blog post, training plan, or e-book chapter, without a string of people waiting for me to get back to them.
It wasn't easy, and still isn't, particularly when I get phone messages beginning “I sent you an email two hours ago...!”
By definition, taking this approach goes against the grain of others’ expectations, and the pressures they put on you. It can take an act of willpower to switch off the world, even for an hour, during the working day. For some strange reason, it feels “unprofessional” to be knuckling down to work in this way.
The thing is, if you want to create something truly remarkable, it won't be built in a day. A great novel, a stunning design, a game-changing software application, a revolutionary company – this kind of thing takes time, thought, craft, and persistence. And on any given day, it will never appear as “urgent” as those four emails (in the last half-hour) from Client X or Colleague Y, asking for things you've already given them or which they probably don't really need.
So if you're going to prioritize this kind of work – your real work – you may have to go through a wall of anxiety in order to get it done. And you'll probably have to put up with complaints and reproaches from people who have no idea what you're trying to achieve, and can't understand what could be more important than their needs.
If you're going to prioritize your real work, you may have to go through a wall of anxiety in order to get it done.
Yes, it feels uncomfortable, and sometimes people get upset, but it's much better to disappoint a few people over small things, than to sacrifice the big things for an empty inbox. Otherwise you're sacrificing real productivity for the illusion of professionalism.
Here are a few tips to help you make the switch:
1. Creative work first, reactive work second.
Either start the day on your creative work, or make sure you block out time for it later in the day – preferably at a time when you typically feel energized and productive.
2. Tune out distractions.
You know the drill – email off, phone off, work from home if you can, stick your headphones on if you can't.
3. Make exceptions for VIPs.
Don't be reckless. If you're working with a client to a deadline, or your boss needs something urgently, treat them like VIPs and give them special access – e.g. leave the phone on and answer if they ring (everyone else gets the voicemail).
4. Be really efficient at reactive work.
You can't ignore everybody all the time. The better your productivity systems, the more promptly you'll be able to respond to their requests – and the more time you'll have free for your own work.
--
Over to You
Do you agree that ‘creative work first, reactive work second’ is the key to creating remarkable things?
How do you prioritize work on important-but-not-urgent projects? What benefits have you gained from doing this?
--
Mark McGuinness helps artists and creatives achieve remarkable things at Lateral Action and Wishful Thinking. For bite-sized inspiration follow Mark on Twitter.
I set a specific time to reply to emails, follow up, and make calls.
Great article!
Cheers.
This has inspired me to put more time into the creative stuff. It's what I love to do most!
I wrote a similar blog post recently (http://www.spookstudio.com/blog) in which I talk about how distractions (or work fidgets) mean creative work can suffer. If you want a work/life balance, to reach your potential and to not be bombarded with information then you need to be disciplined, thick-skinned and focused. In the long run your clients or customers will benefit too. I think one of the main things you can do is not to check your email first thing (midday at the earliest) as before you know it the day runs away with you responding to requests.
I love the analogy used in the Rework book by 37 signals: "It's like REM sleep: You don't just go directly into REM sleep. You go to sleep first and then make your way to REM. Any interruptions force you to start over. And just as REM is when the real sleep magic happens, the alone zone is where the real productivity magic happens."
I look at reactive work as just busy work. Yet it has to be done. Don't let it rule your life.
I have worked in both business office and home office settings. I can definitely say that it doesn't matter where you are, reactive work follows you.
If you are micromanaged by someone this could be a tough situation for you. Because you end up stuck in your important but not urgent work. If you do it long enough it becomes mindless and you lose interest in the creative. DONT LET THAT HAPPEN!!
Do you really want to get into your creative mode and be able to focus? I recommend turning your internet off (unplugging it) totally and sit back and relax for a couple hours. Take a nap even. Eventually your brain will kick into creative mode and you will surprise yourself with what you output. (This should be done in your own time and not in an office setting, that is if you are working for yourself.)
I have gained enjoyment in my work and life doing this. Definitely do the VIP thing, it works well along with start your day off creative. If you have a webcam, record a video of everything you want to accomplish that day. Saying it out loud helps you remember it in the midst of all your requests throughout the day. Play it back later in the day to remind you, and if you don't need that it will just give you a humorous look at yourself when you wake up. :)
GREAT ARTICLE!
Yes.
I am blessed with an early wake-up, usually by 4 a.m. I am at my home-office desk, and get 4 hours work done before the phone rings.
I set my mail filter to "every 120 minutes" so I don't react to emails, but do get to them quickly enough - after all, how does a client know that I was NOT out at a meeting?
I turn my phone OFF when a client visits me, so they get my undivided attention; after all, THEY took the time to drive to meet ME.
And yes, in time-critical projects I rack the mail down to every 5 minutes and carry a mobile phone in my pocket.