Key Messages
How To Get More Done At Work By Freeing Up Your Focus With Michael Hyatt
In today’s culture, it’s all too easy to be caught up in a mindset of wanting more.
We want more speed, more work, and more productivity.
But according to Michael Hyatt in his book Free to Focus, we should be aiming for something different: not more doing, but more of the right doing.
Hyatt argues that by focusing on being productive without necessarily being active or filling your time with lots of activity can make a world of difference.
We don’t need to exhaust ourselves trying to fit ever-growing amounts into our schedules – if we focus on what really matters and prioritize those activities, our productivity will naturally soar.
Often times, the best way to increase productivity is not by jam packing our days with as much activity as humanly possible but rather finding ways to concentrate on a task despite distractions.
By recognizing how precious and limited is our time on this earth – and how zero sum that game is – we can then start targeting specific tasks instead of burning our energy throughout the day haphazardly.
By learning how to get more sleep but still manage tasks effectively; understanding the power of using quality tools realistically; and forming new habits that let us control distractions better; Michael Hyatt’s Free To Focus provides effective strategies for anyone looking for real-world advice on increasing their productivity without exhausting themselves with additional activity.
The Myth Of Productivity: Unlocking The Freedom To Focus And Do Nothing
Our idea of productivity is often misguided.
We think that if we can just complete all our tasks a bit faster, then everything will be okay.
But while speed can be helpful in getting more done, it’s not the only thing that matters when it comes to productivity.
When we focus too much on trying to get things done faster, we forget about the importance of focusing on the important tasks and making sure that they’re done properly.
It’s easy to try and save time by skimping out on deep thinking or creative problem-solving which can actually lead to decreased overall productivity instead of increased efficiency.
Another flawed approach is working overtime in order to finish our tasks.
Studies show that workers who put in more than 55 hours per week are actually less productive than those working 50 or less because of stress and mental fatigue from overworking themselves.
Overtime has a little promise of getting things done faster, but it doesn’t help with quality or maintaining your energy levels – both of which are essential components of being productive in the long run.
We need to remember that freedom is just as important as productivity when trying to manage our workloads and improve our efforts at work.
Freedom can come in various forms like finding the time for uninterrupted deep work or taking a break so your mind is at ease before heading back into completing projects.
The right balance between productivity and achieving personal freedom is a better way to reach sustainable results at work every day!
Take Time To Recharge And Reconnect: The Secret To Productivity
Scheduling time for rejuvenation isn’t a luxury, it’s critical in order to maximize your focus and become more productive.
This may seem counterproductive – after all, if you’re spending time relaxing or sleeping, you’re not working towards a looming deadline – however taking regular breaks is key.
It re-energizes the body and focuses the mind so that work can be done with clarity and purpose.
Sleep is the foundation of productivity and helps to restore mental energy levels.
Research has shown that people who are sleep deprived have fewer original ideas and it is harder to attend to tasks or stay on task.
Penelope A.
Lewis makes this point in her book The Secret World of Sleep.
Our emotional health must also be taken into account when balancing our workloads as human beings are innately social creatures, needing intimate relationships to feel their best.
If these relationships are neglected then it can negatively impact our energy levels and motivation which means our productivity will suffer in the long run.
Finally, playing should never be overlooked as one of the most effective tools for gaining new insights because creativity comes when the mind relaxes.
Making sure we set aside time for recreational activities such as painting or fishing creates a healthy balance between work life and leisure, allowing us to find joy even during busy times!
Become More Productive By Identifying And Pruning The Right Tasks
If you want to be truly productive, you need to know how to identify the unnecessary tasks that bog down your routine and sap your energy.
According to Free to Focus, the best way to do this is by acting like a gardener; pruning away any nonessential tasks that don’t contribute in any meaningful way towards achieving your important objectives.
This means assessing both your passion and proficiency for each task, and eliminating those that score lowest on both measures.
For example, if you manage a team’s quarterly budget successfully but find it tedious, it makes sense to either delegate it or hire an accountant so you can focus more time and energy on tasks that are more enjoyable or energy-generating.
And if there’s something you’re passionate about doing but aren’t particularly proficient in (like web design), it would be best to outsource this job or find someone who can do it better and faster than you so as not to get distracted from tasks that matter more in the grand scheme of things.
In other words, being productive isn’t about doing as much as you can with what little time you have; it’s about figuring out how best to spend that limited time on activities you are both passionate about and proficient in!
Leverage Rituals And “The Power Of No” To Analyze Your Priorities And Maximize Productivity
In order to make the most of your 168 hours each week and free up time to focus on important projects, it’s essential to understand the power of both yes and no.
Highly productive people are able to prioritize by saying no to unnecessary tasks and requests from colleagues and clients which could take up valuable time that could be used for more meaningful work.
Time is a finite resource; you can’t add extra hours into a day, so it’s important for yea-sayers who struggle to say no learn this.
When someone asks something of them, they should prioritize their own plans first – if someone requests a meeting at 7am but you have morning gym session scheduled, simply tell them you have an appointment later when really that ‘appointment’ is with yourself.
Rituals are another way to maximize productivity by giving an individual clarity in their day ahead or sense of closure on the day before.
This can include things like making coffee, meditating, journaling and reviewing upcoming goals in the morning; or catching up on emails, reviewing one’s schedule and notifying colleagues of times you will be not available in the afternoon.
These kinds of rituals help provide structure to our working lives and save us huge amounts of time when established throughout the week.
Achieving Productivity Through An Ideal Week: Use A Clear Plan To Reach Your Goals
If you want to maximize your focus and productivity, one of the best techniques is to plan your day around a big three.
This means picking three tasks that are your priorities for the day – they should be complex enough to require some thought and effort, but not so difficult that you can’t complete them.
This technique forces you to prioritize what’s important and gives you something to aim for.
Once you have a clear picture of today’s objectives, then it makes sense to start planning for the entire week ahead.
Start with a blank week planner and map out the ideal week that you’d like to have.
Think about what activities and tasks make up the perfect week for you – from office appointments on Mondays, team projects on Fridays, extra hours spent on Wednesdays catching up with any backlog and making sure there’s time to relax with yoga classes or weekend hikes.
You can also map out your days in advance – scheduling learning activities for early in the morning, time for catching up with team members in the afternoon etc.
Having an ideal week mapped out in advance gives us direction which increases our focus, helps us hit our targets and gives us a sense of satisfaction when we achieve them.
How To Take Back Control Of Your Focus And Concentration In The Distraction Economy
The modern workplace is full of diversions that can take our focus away from tasks at hand.
Social media, instant messaging, emails, and websites are all competing for our attention and time.
Not only does this make it harder to stay focused and conduct deep work, but it actually costs you time in the long run – studies have found that once interrupted, it takes an average of 23 minutes to return to a task!
Clearly, if we want to stay productive and focused, it’s essential that we challenge the distraction economy.
This means taking steps to limit interruptions, like turning off phone notifications or using a Focus app to limit our access to certain software or websites during specific parts of the day.
It’s also important to take control of your workspace – decluttering your desk and organizing your files will help you focus more effectively as your surroundings no longer distract you with visual stimuli.
By taking action against the distraction economy, you’ll be able recover valuable amounts of time and reap huge rewards in productivity.
With less interruptions comes more clarity which in turn leads to deep work being completed quicker than ever before!
Wrap Up
The Free to Focus Book by Michael Hyatt provides actionable advice and puts forth the key message that productivity isn’t about saving a few minutes on each task but rather, using our focus and energy to engage in high-value tasks which are most beneficial for our business.
To make use of this approach, he suggests creating a not-to-do list to help us discern what areas of work or projects we should eliminate from our weekly schedule.
By keeping these two concepts in mind, we can set ourselves up for increased productivity while avoiding the dangers of a distraction economy and instead managing our time more effectively which will create better outcomes.
