3 hour work day
Research shows that you only have 2.5 - 3 hours a day when you can be productive. This is the best news ever because I only have 3-4 hours a day when I can work. (By work, I mean non-domestic tasks which are serious hard work, but infinitely more difficult to quantify, categorize and control). According to the same research, a typical “knowledge worker” spends just over 5 hours a day on her computer alone. And, of those 5 hours, only 2 hours and 48 minutes are spent on productive tasks.
On average, a “knowledge worker” spends 21% of the workday on entertainment, news, and social media. This makes sense if you believe that attention span begins to decline significantly after just 20 minutes. If some claim that the secret to longevity is a 4-minute daily exercise (and even 4 seconds of exercise can make a notable improvement in one’s fitness), it doesn’t seem so preposterous that you only need 3 hours of productive work.
In a very much self-serving way, these stats are just what I need to hear because, in between homeschooling, Zoom therapies for my son, trips to the playground, preparing lunch and other family responsibilities, I find that sometimes I only have several 20-minute chunks in a day that I used to deem useless and not enough to get any meaningful work done, except for mindless news scrolling.
But, I realized recently that these precious 20-minute moments are the only balancing pole I have for my daily tightrope walking between becoming a full-fledged stay-home mom and locking myself in my home office (aka bedroom) from 9 to 5. If I don’t maximize these mini moments, I fear that I will be lost to the pandemic vortex for good. (Did you know that in December 2020 alone, the US economy lost 140,000 jobs and ALL OF THEM WERE HELD BY WOMEN??)
All these research and theories on work productivity are great….in theory….and for people who don’t fulfill the role as the “catchall tray” of the family, as pointed out by my friend and business owner (and mom of 4 kids), Sy Yang. In today’s reality, these “catchall tray” women are driven by the sheer necessity of trying to get some damn work done while still being there for their family.
I used to believe that I needed a lot of lead time before I can focus on the core task at hand. I need to first clear my inbox, check the day’s news and other “admin” things before I can start to concentrate on my actual work with deadlines and other accountable factors. It’s like warming up before a race. But, since I only have a few hours to get everything done in a day, I often find myself permanently warming up without ever getting to the starting line of that race.
So, to survive the here and now and progress beyond simply imagining what my ideal life would be like, I am reframing the concept of “work”, in terms of how, when, what and why.
I have a bunch of 20-minutes peppered throughout the day and then 3-4 hours in the evening when I can get work done. So, I start the day with a list of things that can be done in 20 minutes. Surprisingly, there’s quite a few, like calling a bank about PPP loans, filling out insurance paper work, meditating, deleting 50 junk emails, etc. I leave more demanding and intense work until the end of the day (which is not ideal but better than nothing).
I also start the day reminding myself of things not to do, such as spending 20 minutes reading useless articles, watching useless videos, or being a sucker for accepting unnecessary Zoom invites. I’m channeling my 20-month old son and trying to say NO more often and more forcibly.
I’m also throwing out the Monday - Friday work schedule (because I’m fortunate enough to be running my own business). I’m trying to be disciplined about pushing all meetings, Zoom calls and other “face to face” work to Tuesday - Thursday. Because my weekends are equally, if not more, intense and exhausting, I want to treat my Monday and Friday as my secret “weekend” - I’m trying not to do any meetings or calls, whether it’s work or school related and lean even more heavily on the help that I’m fortunate to have, whether it’s my mom or nanny. This recalibrating of my work schedule allows me to have more quality work time and even sneak in a walk with a friend on my secret weekends.
YOU ARE NOT THE WORK YOU DO; YOU ARE THE PERSON YOU ARE.
(Toni Morrison)
Speaking of productivity, please share this with two friends who might enjoy a little distraction this week!
And, What’s Your Wonder is back on! This week, Nicole Galli is joining us at the WhiteTable. Nicole not only founded a kick-ass, boutique law firm that provides intellectual property related business advice and litigation service, but she also founded Women Owned Law, the first national networking organization dedicated to empowering and supporting women entrepreneurs in the law. She’s a poster child for grace, ambition and confidence.
What’s your superpower?
My mom often calls me out for being “a dog with a bone” – in other words, I refuse to give up. I am one of the most determined people you’ll ever meet and when I set my sights on a goal I won’t stop until I achieve it, no matter how unrealistic it might seem.
What’s your story in 6 words?
I‘m a maverick and a revolutionary.
Any advice you never got but wish you did?
Stop worrying about following the rules. I was really rules bound when I was younger and even early in my career. Sh*t started to happen once I gave up on that.
Can you share one off-the-beaten-path thing that you’re loving right now?
My friend Christine Lussier, owner of the virtual-only yoga studio, Christine’s Corner Yoga (she opened up during the pandemic!) has been running a 2-week Stretch and Breathe Challenge at 7:30 am every day since January 4, 2021. I’ve done it 5 days in a row now and it’s been amazing (totally NOT something I’d normally do either).