As mentioned earlier in The 8 Wastes – DOWNTIME post, both time & focus are precious resources when trying to get things done. Losing either or both is not often seen as a business risk, but in reality, it is – in the same as any other theft. In the case of time, it can never be reclaimed and once it is lost it is gone forever. When it comes to focus though, it can be restored, but ahem, it will take time to reclaim it once temporarily lost. Beyond the 8 wastes though there are several distinct things aiming to steal your precious time & focus.
These time & focus bandits, if you will, come in many forms. You might be able to avoid these dodgy criminals or at least reduce their impact with some greater awareness & tactics.
Don’t even get me started about the time suck that is poorly timed/organized/run meetings. That is a whole other topic unto itself. Coming soon…
Some disturbing stats around the cost or impact of distractions:
- On average it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain focus once distracted.
- 79% of employees report performance degradation from being distracted.
- US businesses lose an estimated $650 Billion in total due to distraction
- A worker is typically distracted at least 3-4 and as many as 60 times a day on average during an 8-hour workday.
- Distraction cause twice as many errors and rework as normal.
- Companies lose per employee an average of due to distractions
- 2+ hours a day
- 60 hours per month
- up to 720 work hours per year
- 34% of employees like their job less when they are distracted.
Time Bandits
When it comes to time and effort the general flow engineering rule applies – does it add value.
- Is this thing adding value that the customer would be willing to pay for?
- (opposite) Does not doing this thing impact the customers willingness to pay for something else.
If the answer is “No” to either, then stop doing it and find something else to do that does add value.
Too much work in progress
Typically manifests as work started but not finished – an agile anti-pattern to be sure and multi-tasking is not a real thing. So, set a Work in Progress or WIP limit to close on tasks more resulting in less work in progress to serve as a distraction. A WIP limit of 1 for example may seem extreme but closing on individual tasks over juggling several of them leads to more realized value in the system. That value being realized is of some benefit and we can use it to inspire, enable or otherwise lead to even more value.
Unknown dependencies
Typically surfaces as surprise effort that is needed in order to finish work you had planned and thought you fully understood.
Unplanned work
These are the not so happy little distractions that prevent you from making progress on what you had planned to do.
Conflicting priorities
Projects or tasks that compete for your focus and attention. Multi-tasking is not a real thing.
Neglected work
This is the partially completed work that sits idle waiting to be completed for any number of possible reasons.
Focus thieves
When it comes to focus, when your focus is shattered you cannot operate in the zone and be as productive as you once were. Doing what you can to get in the zone and stay there as long as possible by eliminating distractions.
Proper amount of sleep
Sleep is essential to achieving the right state of mind to enable extreme focus and by association your best work
Health & well-being
Beyond sleep this is about your health and mindset. Exhaustion can dismantle your ability to focus. One way to combat that is this to leverage the Flowmodoro method to ensure you take breaks after each goal and are best equipped to thrive in the zone.
Life balance
Without the right balance in life the pressures and priorities can shift limiting your ability to do amazing work. We like what Ikigai suggests about being aware of the proper mix of activities that can result in a happier and healthier life.
Nutrition
Another dimension of health focused on what you consume. Food and water are obvious, but many don’t think about breathing properly. Taking a break for a moment to do some deep breathing a few times a day can greatly improve ability to focus.
Environment
This could be many things indeed, but if you are not working in the right location and/or conditions then you might be spinning your wheels more than you realize. Only you can recognize when your operating environment is causing problems with focus, but here are a few things to ponder.
- Visual distractions – a cube farm is the worst, but lighting, plants (to improve mood & block line of sight) and other ambiance can influence this.
- Audio distractions – even then slightest hum could be an issue, try some headphones perhaps. Using headphones can also serve as a clue to others that you are focused and as such, not open to being disrupted.
- Digital distractions – like email notifications, phone notifications and FOMO can be ruinous.
- Time of day – could be your preference for being in the zone or when the rest of the world is trying to interfere, the time of day could be a factor.
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