Be Your Best

Todd Gifford – Success Coach

Every one wants to get more done, whether it is at work, at home, with their kids and family, with their team, club, or hobby, etc…

The problem that most people experience is the feeling of ‘more to do and less time to do it in’.  The reality is that the amount of time we have is an absolute constant: 1,440 minutes per day, 10,080 minutes/week, etc…  The only thing that changes is our choices of what to do during our time, and (and this one is overlooked biggy) how effective we use our time on the things we choose to use it for.  This ‘effectiveness’ of time concept just does not get much attention for whatever reason, but really is the key to unlock the vault to getting more done.  Research has shown over and over that a smaller amount of high quality focus time on a given task or project is far superior in terms of output and results than a greater amount of lower quality or poor focus time.

How to Burst

If you buy into the smaller amount of effective time is better than a larger amount of less effective time concept, then the real trick is how to make your time spent more effective vs. simply trying to reduce the number of tasks or projects you are tackling.  In theory, if you make your time more effective, you get more done in less time.  If you get more done in less time, then you can accomplish much more in the time you have.

Bursting is a simple concept to help make your time spent more effective.  Essentially, bursting is a technique where you break down your awake time into pieces or chunks.  You then take those chunks of time and you make them as productive and effective as you possibly can.  With that said, you acknowledge that you are not trying to chunk down and burst your entire day.  You are shooting for maybe 2-3 hours per day of bursting time where you are at peak productivity and 100% focus and concentration.  Research has shown that, on average, most business managers achieve less than 1 hour of truly productive time during a day, and closer to 45 minutes.  This research includes even the most successful managers and executives.  If you can create 2-3 hours of peak productivity time each day, you are creating a massive advantage for yourself.  Obviously, if you are successful at creating 2-3 hours of burst time, there is nothing that says you cannot go for 4+ hours.

Bursting Tools

The first tool to use for bursting is a simple kitchen timer.  I have talked about using kitchen timers before to help with focus.  When you go into burst mode, you are setting the timer to start and go ‘up’.  Essentially, you are going to measure and hold yourself accountable to achieve max concentration and a distraction-free burst zone for as long as you can up to 60-90 minutes.  At 60-90 minutes of full concentration, your brain requires some rest to remain near peak performance.  The only reason for the timer is to be able to show yourself how much time you are really achieving at max productivity.  The first couple times you try this, you may not get past 10 minutes without becoming distracted off the task.  Another tool is anything that blocks out chatter/noise that is a distraction to 100% concentration.  Could be a fan that drowns out chatter, or could be playing some classical music at a low volume.  Another “tool” is knowing when your most productive time periods are during the day.  Could be early morning, could be late in the day.  As much as you can, you want to match your burst zones with those to leverage your body’s natural clock.  The overall goal would be to get 2-3 solid burst zones in each day.  More is a bonus.  If you truly measure and are honest with yourself, accomplishing the 2-3 solid burst zones every day is challenging.

“Reverse Bursting”

Another technique that I personally use a lot, but did not have a name for it until I heard about bursting is ‘Reverse Bursting’.  Essentially, reverse bursting is where you set your timer for X number of minutes that you are going to allocate to a task or project.  You start the clock ticking down, ensure you have a distraction free environment, and when the clock hits 0, you are done working on it.  I have found that when you place this artificial ‘deadline’ in the amount of time on the clock, you can move through tasks faster.  You figure out ways to get the task done or largely done with the set amount of time.  The most effective way this works is if you really stick to the ‘deadline’ you set with the timer.  When the clock hits 0, you move on to another task or project.  This is also, by the way, a great method to use for meetings to keep them short and productive.

It is amazing what you can accomplish in a well-executed burst period, and it is easy to see why just achieving 2-3 solid burst periods in a day can create major results.  Try it.

Be Your Best,
Todd D. Gifford