This week I share how I take Thursdays off. I call it a Clear Day. A day for floating…
If you were to put your ear to the ground and listen carefully, this is what the Zeitgeist would rumble back at you: right now, in 2010, we’re feeling like little canoes thundering down a gorge. Every iota of us wants to paddle over to one of the placid little pools that we glimpse in our flurry downstream. So we can get our breath and check we’re heading down the right river. But we keep getting swooped into the current (nagging emails, to-do detritus), don’t we. Or thrown a series of rapids (late parking fees to pay, kids’ tuba lessons). And so the calm pool of reflection eludes us.
You know, it’s not so much that we yearn less work or less responsibilities. Self-help types often get this wrong. Mostly, if you listen to the hum and drum of the collective, we yearn more space between the work and responsibilities, from which to prioritise and appreciate. Lately, when I email my busy colleagues I preface things with “when you come up for air, would you mind….”. When I talk inside my own head, I say things like, “I’ll get around to mapping out my five-year plan, or cooking that rabbit stifado, when I clear some space in my diary”.
But how do we get that space? How do we clear a path to that calm pool? My friends: you don’t wait for something to give; you create it yourself.
Creating your own parameters… it’s become a theme on this page. Last month I wrote about taking Sunday off to rest. Yep, it’s hard to switch off these days. But it’s only hard. In Grandad’s day, work and rest were delineated clearly for us. The shops were shut on weekends, for instance. Difference now is we have to carve out our parameters ourselves, proactively turning off email on a Friday at 6pm and scheduling meditation appointments with ourselves under the desk in the afternoon (um, don’t you?).
And having Clear Days. Yes, Clear Days (a word I’ve just invented and put in Capitals Which Makes it Seem More Authentic). For the past few months I’ve set aside Thursdays to read, reflect and flesh out creative ideas.
Google does the same. It’s called 20 Per Cent Time and allows employees to spend a day a week working on side projects. Google News and Gmail both emerged from this “space”. Ditto Post-It Notes when 3M instigated something similar. Here in Australia, software company Atlassian, run by two barely-30 kids and reportedly raking in $35 million a year, have “Fedex days” in which staff work on “crazy big ideas” they must deliver in 24 hours.
To be honest, my Clear Days have been frightfully flabby efforts so far. My parameters have been rather porous – I’ve sneaked in emails, booked in dentist appointments and done favours for friends who think I’m having a Day Off. But this week I decided to get firm.
On Monday I chatted to Atlassian founder Mike Cannon-Brookes. The key to getting clear, he shared, is to use the space for “looking up”. That is, it’s for working on stuff that’s got nothing to do with what you do day-to-day. I also spoke to Madisyn Taylor from DailyOM, a blog I’ve followed for three years. Each day she posts poignant wisdoms from her office in California. How does she get inspired? She takes Tuesdays off. She begins by buttressing her parameters: “I turn my phone off and get the house ready by clearing clutter. I don’t leave the house all day. Then I meditate with a notebook next to me, to record ideas as they come up. I’m firm about it.”
Finally, as deadline for this column loomed, I came across an article by productivity guru Steve Pavlina espousing the “one week on, one week off” approach. He works full-throttle for 7 days – pushing himself to 80-100 hours, completely focused and not bothering to have life balance. “Recycle your dirty clothes if you must,” he says. Then, the next 7 days you walk away completely and get perspective, dream, doodle, travel. Sprint, rest, sprint, rest. His tip: it doesn’t matter how long the cycle, so long as the distinction between sprinting and resting is firm. Yes, firm. This is my lesson.
I realise most people can’t wake up and announce to the boss they’re taking Thursdays off. But we can all clear some space somewhere, even if it’s 15 minutes either side of every entry in your diary (my PA during my magazine editing days used to do this for me). The value is in creating the parameters and buttressing it firmly. Then you can step into the space safely and place everything that’s been held in it – the tuba lessons, the rabbit stifado, the….
And I should update you: I am STILL only working four days a week…it’s taken a lot of false starts and discipline. But it’s paying off. The biggest hurdle? That feeling that “this relaxation thing should be more enjoyable”…like when you’re on holiday and you finally stop and sit by the pool and the feeling isn’t nearly as good as the brochure intimated. I’ve combatted this by launching into my Thursdays with this simple intention: let’s just see what happens.
I so enjoy your posts Sarah. I too have just come to the realisation I am achieving nothing purposeful because I am spending every second of the day frantically trying to stay on top of my commitments. I only just discussed it with my business partner last week – Wednesday will be my day. My new life starts in a few weeks and I cannot wait! You are right, you just have to make it happen or nothing will ever change. Thanks again for your insightful and intelligent posts.
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I find “interval training” – working in bursts and cycling on & off has improved my life heaps.
I came across it after reading a great book in which the authors had trained Andre Agassi and other athletes with this method (along with many corporate high fliers). They spent alot of time proving the science behind the idea.
The most important concept in the book I found was “managing energy, not time” – which is what we really do anyway. (You know, when 3pm hits and you prioritise the remaining work based on your energy levels – how you “feel”).
So these two concepts of interval training (working in short burts) and managing your energy not your time are the best productivity ideas I’ve ever found (ie; ones I actually use daily).
I think it’s the next generation of time management (Steve Covey’s First Things First being the current ). An easy read and highly recommended.
> http://www.amazon.com/Power-Full-Engagement-Managing-Performance/dp/0743226755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257133617&sr=1-1
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Your post rings so true with me. There is an art to being able to switch off especially when you run your own business. Working from home, i find the half day approach works for me. I will work like mad in either the morning or the afternoon – whichever suits my day/tasks – then i will take the other half to spend with the family, exercise, read or do the housework. I try and do this at least three days a week and this method fits with my commitments to myself, my business and my family.
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Paul…great addition to Sarah’s post….thank you both…
That’s how I train now and am trying to apply to work & creative balance too. – also brings back the need for the egg timer to “time” the intervals to maximise productivity, which was discussed a few weeks back by this community…must go buy one of those!
Ian
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Ian, the free egg timer software I use at my desk each day is > http://www.dinnertimer.com
I run 2 of them – one for 30mins (work) – the other for 4mins or 10mins (break). So 30 on, 10 off, etc.
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Apologies for being off-subject. My curiosity begs to know what star-sign you are? If you don’t mind…
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Paul, the concept of interval training is a wonderful description, managing your energy level. So relevant as I have woken from a nap (also had one yesterday) and a later start to the day with little inclination to visit my list of tasks. I understand at a head level the importance of listening to your body & its needs however the struggle is when you have a start up business (ad) venture that is always demanding to be nurtured. the concept of interval training works for me, I use it in my exercise, why not with my work life.
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You’re not editor of Cosmpolitan magazine anymore and haven’t been for a very long time. I don’t think you’re hosting Masterchef either.
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Anonymous, correct. I left MasterChef after series 1. There’s always a right time to move on. I like to think I have knack for picking it.
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Christen, I’m a Capricorn. Very goat-like.
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Anonymous, the ‘About Me’ page seems pretty clear to me. Can’t trolls reach past the first page of a website? I guess you’re too short!
Jo, grab the book – it’s a really good read – they explain each chapter by walking through past client cases and how they were changed.
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Before having my baby I worked 2 1/2 days a week! It has always been a deliberate choice for me to work part time (never really worked full time in my life) because I value leisure and balance so much…if anything, I lost this balance most extremely by becoming a mother! But my partner, who also exists outside the conventional mode of working totally helps to check that in check by sharing the parent load equally.
great post!
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Another inspiring post, thanks Sarah.
Paul, your suggestion is wonderful. I’ll check out the book.
On a more personal note, I did have similar experience with energy management – having 30 mins afternoon nap while preparing for my grueling professional exam and MBA exam a few years ago was my way of maintaining my mental ‘energy’ and alertness. I did this everyday for a month. It’s also a way to force myself to switch off the brain and switch on again.
Being an employee nowadays I dont have the luxury to take a nap nor take a weekday off from work (like what Sarah does), but switchin off the brain entails taking a daily routine walk or sitting at the city square feeding the pigoens or people watching and goggling at hunks at lunch time.
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Paul – what wonderful service, thank you…I’m a Mac user, but I’m sure it won’t take me long to find an an equivalent Mac app on the web.
Cheers…Ian
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Great, great post Sarah……. love yer work. I’m going to work towards the four-day week myself. By, er, mid-May
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What a great resource!
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Hi Paul, I just wanted to thank you for your link to the timer and your tips on interval training
I am a student with three assignments due this week and your method has proved very helpful! Knowing that I can have a break each 30 minutes to brew another cup of tea and read a few pages of Norwegian Wood keeps me motivated and less likely to get distracted/procrastinate. Thank you again!
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I had 8 wonderful years of this lifestyle. I was a skilled labourer in a small industry that allowed me to pick and choose my work. I tried to work 15 weeks but no more than 20 weeks a year, and generally succeeded. I would go away for 12-17 days and work 84 hours a week, hard physical in a male oriented team situation. It gave enough income for us to live. Considering that working 40+ hours a week and traveling adds up to 15 weeks a year away from home my lifestyle choice
And then would have the time to give fully for my wife, children play guitar and garden. It was a time of fulfillment even if my time at home could not be measured in productive output.
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In case you’re wondering, it’s in the “About me” section which is on every page of your website.
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[...] and found her to be the real deal. She meditates each day to come up with her daily advice. And takes Tuesdays off to have a better life. I like this post for today’s outlook about grounding yourself. It [...]
This is really inspiring stuff. I truly believe there is a huge undercurrent welling up around this way of thinking and people are looking to reconnect with family life and simpler times.
For anyone who is interested I have started a movement towards the 4 day work week. It’s not about reducing productivity, it’s about encouraging more flexible work environments. Join us if you feel the same http://www.4dayworkweek.com.au
Matt
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[...] when our parameters are narrowed. The French have mandated reduced working hours. They like it. Four-day work weeks…I can vouch for them (I still take Thursdays off and get just as much done in a week). I [...]