Dien Rice
July 9, 2019, 04:22 AM
I often work from home, but it can be quite difficult to focus for extended periods of time. That can make it hard to do tasks where I need a lot of focus!
Anyhow, I just read about the concept of "untouchable days" - so I'm trying it out!
I read an article about it by Neil Pasricha, who's a bestselling author and entrepreneur.
An "untouchable day" is a day where you plan no meetings, no phone calls, nothing. (He also plans no text messages, but I'm allowing text messages, as I find those far less disruptive than phone calls... I have no problem ignoring text messages if I'm focused on something else, but your mileage may vary.)
He initially tried scheduling one "untouchable day" per week. He did it far in advance, so any other items that came up, he could schedule them for other days apart from his "untouchable day" for the week.
What if something extremely important comes up, and it can only be done on your "untouchable day?" For example, maybe an important opportunity comes up that can only be done on that day. In these circumstances, he allows himself to move his untouchable day within the week, but not beyond that! So - if he has to - he'll move his untouchable day to another day during the same week, even if he has to reschedule multiple meetings to do so!
I'm actually writing this on my "untouchable day"... How's it working out? I'm definitely more productive. (He says he can be 10 times more productive on his "untouchable days" than his regular days. As he is an author, that means he can write 10 times as much on the "untouchable days!") I think the main benefit I'm finding is I can do the things that require focus - since otherwise, these things can be hard to get done in my usual circumstances.
In my case, I have a co-working space I use, and I am doing my "untouchable day" there. I tend to get regularly interrupted at home, so in my case, I really need to leave the house. (It may be different in your circumstances.)
Although this is my first "untouchable day," I think I need to make this a regular habit!
Why You Need an Untouchable Day Every Week
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-you-need-an-untouchable-day-every-week
Best wishes,
Dien
Anyhow, I just read about the concept of "untouchable days" - so I'm trying it out!
I read an article about it by Neil Pasricha, who's a bestselling author and entrepreneur.
An "untouchable day" is a day where you plan no meetings, no phone calls, nothing. (He also plans no text messages, but I'm allowing text messages, as I find those far less disruptive than phone calls... I have no problem ignoring text messages if I'm focused on something else, but your mileage may vary.)
He initially tried scheduling one "untouchable day" per week. He did it far in advance, so any other items that came up, he could schedule them for other days apart from his "untouchable day" for the week.
What if something extremely important comes up, and it can only be done on your "untouchable day?" For example, maybe an important opportunity comes up that can only be done on that day. In these circumstances, he allows himself to move his untouchable day within the week, but not beyond that! So - if he has to - he'll move his untouchable day to another day during the same week, even if he has to reschedule multiple meetings to do so!
I'm actually writing this on my "untouchable day"... How's it working out? I'm definitely more productive. (He says he can be 10 times more productive on his "untouchable days" than his regular days. As he is an author, that means he can write 10 times as much on the "untouchable days!") I think the main benefit I'm finding is I can do the things that require focus - since otherwise, these things can be hard to get done in my usual circumstances.
In my case, I have a co-working space I use, and I am doing my "untouchable day" there. I tend to get regularly interrupted at home, so in my case, I really need to leave the house. (It may be different in your circumstances.)
Although this is my first "untouchable day," I think I need to make this a regular habit!
Why You Need an Untouchable Day Every Week
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-you-need-an-untouchable-day-every-week
Best wishes,
Dien
