How I increased my productivity while reducing my working hours
Why is it that we state most business challenges as an “either/or” problem?
“We can either make profit this year by working hard, or work less hours.”
This is such a limiting approach to creative problem-solving. However unconscious, it will lead to a win/lose result, because you will only ever satisfy one option. Your mind is focusing on a predetermined set of options, thereby discarding many others. In addition, a number of cognitive biases will influence your thinking towards a certain direction.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you stated your challenge as an “and” problem?
“We can make a profit AND work less hours.”
Now that is an engaging challenge, isn’t it? Suddenly your angle to the challenge changes, and you are opening up entire new opportunities. Literally, with a bit of creativity you can have it all.
In fact, this became my mission statement about a year back.
I started to question the sanity of the daily 8–5 hamster wheel as I struggled with my overall wellbeing, and a lack of purpose. I wanted more time to think, to contribute, and to feel balance.
If you share this thought but don’t want to quit your job (let’s face it, most of us need the money), here’s what I did instead:
I decided to to negotiate my work conditions. I offered to maintain the levels of output while gradually reducing my work hours, keeping in mind that the my company would not invest any additional resources or condone “half-baked” results.
The Guilt Trip
I was exhilarated by this project, but I struggled with guilt: How could I go home at 3:30 when everybody else stayed until 5? Not being available via email, chat or phone after that? Taking a gym class Wednesday morning at 8:30?
As Elena Lipson points out:
“Most women have been conditioned from a young age to be nice and accommodating. And that’s okay…to an extent. But if too many of our decisions and choices are guided by other people’s feelings and perceptions, where do our own needs and desires fit in? Therein lies the crux of the issue: We want to help others, often to the detriment of our own well-being.”
The key takeaway is that you cannot help others if you are not well yourself. Self-care is not selfish, it is necessary. This is where productivity became my focus. Cal Newport’s “Deep Work” became my daily reference.
One of Newport’s key enablers of focused work is to create and schedule the time and space you need to concentrate. In real life this implies setting boundaries to your current availability and habits.
Boundaries and Focused Work
Setting boundaries can be hard at first, mainly because of the guilt. Melanie Greenberg has some great pointers to overcome this.
The key is to start small and keep steps manageable, to also help your fellow colleagues or your manager adjust, and keeping trust in your performance:
- Space out the time in between reading emails. Start small, say 30 minutes, and then keep extending that.
- Start to block out time for a dedicated task. You will be inaccurate with your estimates first but become better over time.
- Remove distractions — switch off your emails, your phone, close the door
- Say no to meeting requests out of your new working hours
Chances are that even with new boundaries, your focus does not come naturally. This, too, takes practice:
- Take some time to calm your mind. Take a few breaths. Going for a short walk can be incredibly helpful.
- Start recognizing when your thoughts wander off.
- Start observing what works for you to “get in the zone”, then practice that.
Here’s What Happened
This was by no means a quick fix, but over the course of about 10 months, I managed to reduce my average working hours from 44 to 36 while maintaining the same output. I was also nominated as a global project leader and am wrapping up my project on time with minimal resources.
As a byproduct, my filing and organizing systems improved — I can find documents and information in less than half the time it took me before this change.
Most importantly, I increased my wellbeing by spending my “spare” time going for walks, doing yoga or reading.
Takeaway
I understand that not everybody has the same freedom or opportunity as me. There is also no one-size fits all approach to your wellbeing. But rather than feeling guilty and sacrificing your health, or simply succumbing to your workload, I encourage you to start seeing and exploring little daily opportunities for change, because self-care matters.
