Where do you do your best work? Using the power of place to actually get things done.
In today's "work from anywhere" world, many professionals are asking, "How can I stay focused while working from home?" As a college professor, I often hear my students asking the same question about studying. Throughout my career, I have struggled with distraction and have experienced the stress and burnout that come with demanding work. In this blog, I share how I have improved my work habits by setting parameters that allow me to focus on deep work, while also prioritizing time and attention for other meaningful activities and pursuits.
I recently had a flashback to the early days of quarantine. Minneapolis essentially shut down for two days last week due to a forecasted "Snowmagedon" storm that could dump up to three feet of snow across the city. Businesses preemptively closed their offices, and schools flipped to virtual classrooms. As often happens, the bark was worse than the bite, and just over a foot of snow covered the ground. Plus, Minnesota has a special forces team of plows led by Han Snowlo, Snowbi Wan Kinobi, and Plowasaurus Rex that made relatively short work of the snow.
Still, those two days stuck working from my small house had me caught in limbo between the blurred lines of home and work — less productive and more distracted. I had a lot of time, but I couldn't get into the flow. Just like quarantine.
The right place can prime us for focus. One thing often overlooked in time management and focus is the role of place. We often build neurological links between places and tasks. I love my office for deep thinking and data work; that's where I feel the most task-oriented. I feel creative and relaxed sitting at my favorite coffee shop. That's where writing seems fun and effortless. Occasionally, I take my notebook to a local cigar shop, sit in a chair, and think about long-term ideas and plans.
In one of my classes at North Central University, I cover time management and focus. Many of my students struggle with this. Actually, a lot of business professionals struggle with this. Actually, I struggle with this (it has taken a lot of intention to go from terrible to mediocre in terms of my own time management).
In my class, I ask students, "Where do you do your best work?" Notice, I don't ask, "Where do you do most of your work?" or "where is most convenient to work?"
I never get the answer, "I work best from my dorm room."
In a world where we can work from anywhere, we often work in places and in ways that drain our productivity, steal our focus, and blur the line between working and non-working. In this blog post, I share four tips for professionals and students on how to think about the relationship between place and focus.
1. Multitasking spaces don't work
2. Physically clocking in and out shifts mentality
1. Multitasking spaces don't work
In a past position, I worked for a beverage company in the fitness industry. We successfully constructed a large, open industrial warehouse space that included a top-notch CrossFit-style gym and custom stand and sit desks in an open floor plan. While it was undoubtedly the coolest and most impressive office space I have ever been in — it turned out to be a terribly unproductive environment for actually getting work done.
The multitasking nature of the space diluted all of the supposed benefits. Do you know the most distracting sound while trying to focus? People working out and clanging weights. Similarly, I love an intense workout while cranking 80s jams, but when I was in the eyesight of my desk, I was reminded of all the work that was waiting for me. I ended up paying to join another gym and I worked from coffee shops many mornings.
This is part of the reason why working from home can be such a hindrance to focus, especially for those without a dedicated workspace. When I work from my kitchen table, I'm pulled into all the other things that are in my periphery — like playing with my new dog, starting the laundry, or watching Netflix. Our space impacts our attention and a multi-use, multitasking space leads to multiple distractions.
2. Physically clocking in and out shifts mentality
I regularly do brand management and marketing consulting work over the summers or around my teaching schedule. I have found that I get significantly more work done in less time than when I’m working my “day job.”
The difference is that I’m tracking billable hours. When I'm on the clock, I want my work to be worth the rate I charge. It's like flipping the switch. The work gets my full attention. I am not worth my full rate while I'm picking away at a PowerPoint and watching the NHL playoffs from my couch. When I am billing, I am fully on and focused (and I don't at all feel guilty about what I charge). Conversely, when I'm off the clock, I don't want to keep working for free. If I send emails from my phone while watching football, I am essentially working for free, and I not enjoying my off time. I've eliminated the zombie mode of half-working, half-relaxing.
My physical work space also coincides with clocking in and out. I make sure that when I start working, I am in the right location to do my best work. When I am done, I move. Even when I take a break at my office, I try to physically get out of my desk chair and away from my monitors. Even the simple act of switching chairs helps my mind clock in and clock out.
3. Changing locations can create mental space
Moving locations can be a redirect for our brains. When I have a big, critical project that requires my full focus, I often move spaces to create focus. The physical act of moving locations creates a clean break between what I have been doing and what I am now doing.
Right now, I am working on my first book proposal. It is new, challenging, and takes time and focus. To give myself the space for deep work, I often physically move locations to focus solely on this task. I pack only the essentials for this project. I leave behind my grading, I don't open my email, and I store my other work back at the office. This guards my time and allows me to give my full concentration to the project at hand. When I am disciplined to do this, I make more meaningful progress — and when I make the mistake of also packing in a few other tasks or emails, my time and attention quickly erode.
4. No-fly zones for work are critical
As essential as it is to have places for focus, it is equally critical to create places where work is not welcome. When my kitchen or bedroom becomes a pseudo office, it not only distracts but also robs me of peace. We have the tools to work from anywhere. This often creates the feeling that work follows us everywhere. As someone who has a lot of schedule and location flexibility in my jobs, I must self-create this rigidity. The kitchen table is for eating, enjoyment, and connection. Email is never allowed in my bedroom. If I absolutely must do something for work, I need to go to the places in my home where work is allowed.
After long and frustrating days, this helps me create a physical and mental break. Work might seem to follow me everywhere else, but it can't follow me here.
Even with these parameters, I am hardly an expert in mastering my physical work domain. These are the things I have learned from my struggles. Following these loose rules has helped me make slight but steady improvements. Everyone is different, but I have found that separating my workspace from my leisure space has improved my ability to focus on work and has given me peace of mind to leave work behind and give my full attention to other people and things.
Mark Skeba
Mark has spent more than 16 years in consumer marketing with a specialization in brand strategy and messaging. He has worked on more that twenty national brands across multiple marketing roles. Within General Mills he helped develop the social media teams and launched a small in-house advertising agency that did award winning and industry-recognized work. Mark consults with brands, non-profits and start-ups to clarify and differentiate their message. He works to create clear, succinct, and unique marketing messages that attract customers and investors. Mark is an assistant professor at North Central University in Minneapolis where leads the marketing and sales curriculum.