"Much of the urgency in our lives is caused by our lack of focus on what is important and not urgent. We cause our own urgency. And we can stop creating more urgency as soon as we stop long enough to do what is really important. Doing what is really important and proactive makes for less urgency later."
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@iannarino
My sacred time
Sacred time is time that you set aside to give something your full attention and your full focus. You set this time aside, and you eliminate all distractions. No background noise, no interruptions. You close the door, you close the browser windows, and you close out anything outside of what you have chosen to give yourself over to.
For me, my sacred time is 5:30 AM every morning (lately, it’s been 5:00 AM). No one wants your attention at 5:30 in the morning. Writing is important to me, and so I block off an hour an half each day to write.
I also have some meetings that require my full attention. I always close my email and, when I don’t have to take notes, I shut the laptop lid. This allows me to give the people I am speaking with my undivided attention, and it allows me to listen (really listen).
It is amazing how much work you can do when you aren’t interrupted. It’s even more amazing how much the quality of your work improves when you aren’t interrupted. A single uninterrupted hour weighs a lot more than an hour of interruptions and scattered attention.
How to have sacred time
First you have to train yourself to have sacred time. You have to train yourself to give up your addiction to interruptions. Know that when you plug back into the world, your email will be waiting for you. So will your Twitter stream, and so will your status updates.
So will the long line of people that clamor for your attention, along with the people who have been desperate to make some commitment on your behalf. You also have to train others that there are times when you have committed to doing something important enough to you to give it the full power of your focus. You have to ask them to leave you alone until your uninterrupted time is complete. At first, you will be interrupted. But the more you ask (and hang signs on your door, and turn on your Do Not Disturb, and turn off your email), the more you will find that people comply.
Blog via twitter
@iannarino
My sacred time
Sacred time is time that you set aside to give something your full attention and your full focus. You set this time aside, and you eliminate all distractions. No background noise, no interruptions. You close the door, you close the browser windows, and you close out anything outside of what you have chosen to give yourself over to.
For me, my sacred time is 5:30 AM every morning (lately, it’s been 5:00 AM). No one wants your attention at 5:30 in the morning. Writing is important to me, and so I block off an hour an half each day to write.
I also have some meetings that require my full attention. I always close my email and, when I don’t have to take notes, I shut the laptop lid. This allows me to give the people I am speaking with my undivided attention, and it allows me to listen (really listen).
It is amazing how much work you can do when you aren’t interrupted. It’s even more amazing how much the quality of your work improves when you aren’t interrupted. A single uninterrupted hour weighs a lot more than an hour of interruptions and scattered attention.
How to have sacred time
First you have to train yourself to have sacred time. You have to train yourself to give up your addiction to interruptions. Know that when you plug back into the world, your email will be waiting for you. So will your Twitter stream, and so will your status updates.
So will the long line of people that clamor for your attention, along with the people who have been desperate to make some commitment on your behalf. You also have to train others that there are times when you have committed to doing something important enough to you to give it the full power of your focus. You have to ask them to leave you alone until your uninterrupted time is complete. At first, you will be interrupted. But the more you ask (and hang signs on your door, and turn on your Do Not Disturb, and turn off your email), the more you will find that people comply.
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