Finding Flow - March 2020 Newsletter
Case Study - Rescue Time Research
You may have heard of an app you can download on to your computer called Rescue Time? For those of you who haven’t, it’s an app that tracks how you spend time on your digital devices. It’s an app that would make any of us cringe.
The crew at Rescue Time looked at the data from 50,000+ of their users and found that the average knowledge worker ‘checks in’ on communication tools such as email and IM (Instant Message) every 6 minutes. Note: Checking in refers to any time a user switches from a productive task to a communication tool.
When they broke down the data even further the cringing didn't stop.
35.5% of users ‘checked in’ on communication every 3 minutes or less and only 18.6% can go a full 20 minutes on average.
40% of knowledge workers never get 30 minutes straight of focused time in their day.
This begs the questions - How are we meant to get any focused/high value work done in the day when we are switching to communication tools every 6 minutes and not getting at least one block of focus for 30 minutes a day? The short answer is that you CAN’T!
Why Find your Flow?
“Flow” is a state of mind where we feel in total pursuit, execute tasks effortlessly, and achieve the peak of our performance.
When you’re in the state of Flow, you are completely focused on the task at hand, forget about yourself, about others, about the world around you, lose track of time, feel happy and in control and become creative and productive.
I love days where I am so absorbed in my work that at the end of the day I wonder where the time went. I’ve found my ‘flow’. What I also love about Flow is that it takes the very Zen concept of being completely in the moment, and applies it to work tasks.
How can you switch off communication tools for windows in our day and find our flow!
Productive Newsletter - JAN 2020
Hello and Happy New Year,
I have to confess it’s been a long time since I’ve sent a newsletter and something I will change in 2020. Some of you are on this list because you signed up via our website and some because you ticked yes to receiving our monthly newsletter on your evaluation form after a session with me. Every month I will share my thoughts and tips for greater success at work and life. If you’re not interested, no hard feelings just use the unsubscribe link.
Here it is…
I came across this quote at the end of last year. I feel that it is my theme for 2020 as I venture in to new territory in both my external world and my internal world.
In my external world I have joined the Thought Leaders Business School and have committed to a 12 month intensive to grow as a trainer and speaker and go deeper in to our business. I've already seen results and have a renewed focus and I'm excited about this journey.
In my internal world I have recognised that there is some habits and patterns that are holding me back that I want to address in order to be a better partner, mother and friend.
However, change is never easy. It requires courage. Sometimes it feels painful. But when I look at the times when I have made changes in my life that have caused me to grow (and blossom) I'm always thankful that I did.
An example of this for me was when I left a relationship that was quite toxic. In my late twenties I fell in love and it was intoxicating at first. We couldn't get enough of each other, we were the centre of each other's world. However, like many people that are young and in love, it started to become unhealthy when we became jealous of other people and obsessive over each other. It was hard to tell where one of us ended and the other began. I knew that I needed to end the relationship in order to grow, move forward and become emotionally and mentally healthy again.
At the time it felt like the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I wasn't sure if I'd ever feel that way about anyone again but once I truly stepped away something amazing happened. I had a lot of fear of losing this relationship but once I let go (decided to blossom instead of stay as a bud) I felt peace for the first time in a long time. My joy in other things returned and I was able to grow in every area of my life.
This lesson is true of other areas in my life like quitting smoking, exercise and bad habits.
This time of year is a good time to assess every area of our lives. What areas do you need to take the risk and choose to blossom?
Fiona Newton
Director of Training
