Stop and Go

Working Fast and Slow

If you are into personal productivity, you’ve probably encountered focus techniques like the Pomodoro technique. Most people who use these dedicated focus strategies for any period become amazed at how much they can get done in short bursts of deeply focused activity. I’ve actually had this experience myself in the last few days, as I unexpectedly had a huge writing project that I needed to get done in just a couple of days. Focus periods came to my rescue, and as I look back on the experience, I am stunned at how much I got done so quickly.

So, given that these types of techniques are so often effective and the payoff so high, why are we not all deep in focus periods all the time? After all, regular intense focus could probably shave hours off of the average work week for most people.

The answer comes back to a fairly common theme for a newsletter called Humanity Working – we are all human. For all the benefit of a technique like this, it requires discipline (something that ebbs and flows) and focused energy (something that also ebbs and flows). Plus, many of us vary in our ability to focus, no matter what techniques we use.

One of the main reasons I’ve been thinking about this is in the light of some renewed discussion about 4-day work weeks, 32-hour work weeks and various other variants, including my personal favorite (a five-day work week followed by a four-day work week). I think much of the discussion about this, however well intentioned, is misguided. Yes, it is possible that many people can get as much accomplished in 4 days as in 5 by focusing their energy. But it’s also true that sprinting hard and fast works sometimes, while at other times slower and steadier is better.

I hope and believe that where we will end up is flexible work arrangements that don’t discriminate against any particular work style, but which also emphasize the need for rest and recovery in employees. And for me, THAT cannot arrive fast enough.