Five F’in’ F’s

I wrote the diary entry you’ll read below a year ago, not long after I returned to work following the birth of my youngest child. It was a challenging time as you’ll guess from my manic tone! Against a backdrop of very little sleep, bringing up three young children and running a growing business, I was forced to assess my time management critically.

Much as I am doing right now, I took to reading to help me work out how I was going to improve my tired brain’s levels of concentration and increase my productivity and effectiveness. I also reflected on my belief that work plays an important but secondary role in one’s life and that it’s possible to achieve everything you wish to in, at most, a forty-hour work-week — as long as you give yourself both structure and flexibility.

I’ve considered over the years that I may be a little lazy when judging my working hours against some of my friends and peers. So many people I’ve come across have taken great pride in working ‘all-nighters’ or missing meals because they’re so busy — really?! Aside from feeling like there are people who love playing the martyr in these conversations, I’ve frankly taken pity on them. “You’re a mug,” I’ve always thought, especially when they’re doing it for someone else’s company.

Secretly, though, I’ve questioned whether I was the mug and that this attitude would hold me back. But it turns out that I’d unknowingly been employing methods of ‘deep’, or as I prefer to call it ‘focused’ work, which has allowed me to progress well in my career without sacrificing my sanity or personal life.

For now, a flashback to the early and sometimes ‘dark’ days of being the parent of a newborn.

What a day. The first of many like this to follow, I hope. I’ve made the decision now. Life is flashing by, and I need to capture it.

You think you know what’s coming. After all, when you have two kids, what’s one more? I’ve experienced the sleepless nights, the pressure of having to provide and I managed it before.

But perhaps I didn’t. There was a reason I was so hesitant about having a third child. It was fucking stressful, and I had the constant feeling that I was neither at home nor work enough.

I’m fortunate that I have my own business, so I have the kind of flexibility that most would envy. It brings its pressures, though, of course. It’s all very well taking a month’s paternity leave, but what impact might that be having on the prospects of the company? And what effect could that have on my ability to earn the extra money I need to make to pay for the new addition to the family? And what does that mean for the time I’ll have to spend in the office to compensate? And, and, and…

Oh god, this is what they call anxiety. I’ve always been chilled-out and not experienced pressure, haven’t I? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I know now that’s what I’m feeling, and I’ve got to do something about it. Take control.

I’ve worked out that I’m awake roughly 17 hours per day, which over a week equals 119 hours. That’s the equivalent of flying to Australia and back three times. That sounds like a lot — so why does it feel like I don’t have time to do the things I enjoy? Am I making excuses, or am I just letting things getting on top of me?

Enough questions. Time for the answers.

I’m happy to work 40 hours per week and be as effective as I can be. I have a plan to make sure that in this time I’ll do more than I ever did before, meaning when I leave the office for the day and for the week I don’t have to look at my emails, my Slack message or take calls about work. I’ll also make sure that everyone who works with me uses the same approach — let’s call it the ‘Five F’in’ F’s’.

Focused work –I’m going to plan my time so that I have periods of uninterrupted work, free of any distraction — this will allow me to at least double my work output. Not just that, the quality of the work will improve. I won’t get bogged down in the sorts of tasks that don’t yield any value.

Flow — By removing distraction and absorbing myself in work for a concentrated period, I’ll not only enjoy what I’m doing more, I’ll make disproportionate progress. Getting ‘in the zone’ is a rare feeling in the modern workplace, but this is the way to do it!

Fulfilment — Reaching this state of mind and giving myself the opportunity for these ideas to come together will make me more productive and will be more fulfilling.

Why is this important?

If I can get my work done more effectively, the business thrives, and I need to spend less time working on it.

This means I have more…

Free-time

…to spend with my…

Friends and family.

Five F’In F’s: Focus, Flow, Free-Time, Friends, Family

Back to the present and you needn’t worry — I’m a lot calmer now! I’m getting more sleep and have found the right alignment between work and family time. Refreshing my approach to work and my perspective on life contributed towards my decision to exit the company I’d founded ten years previously. It motivated me to start anew, giving me a sense of purpose that will be critical as I design my new work life and create a new business.

I’m going to delve deeper into the subject of productivity and focus in my next post. In particular, I’ll outline how I’ve limited distractions and managed my diary to optimise my effectiveness.

In the meantime, if you’re interested in the books that helped me establish these habits, here are a few of the better ones:

Deep Work by Cal Newport

It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris