THE PRINCIPLE

A concentrated day of working only on your project creates momentum

On any given day, it’s probably rare that you have only one thing to work on. Being able to juggle several projects at a time is a necessary skill, but sometimes when we divide our working day into small units it feels like none of our projects are moving forward at a satisfactory rate.

One solution is scheduling a MAD – Massive Action Day. It simply means one day when you put aside everything else and focus on only one project. This requires you to turn off your phone, your email, the television, and cancel any social engagements. If necessary, put an automatic message on your email service letting people know that you will be responding the next day. Screen any phone calls and only return ones that involve the possibility of imminent loss of life.

Start your MAD with all the resources you will need at hand. This could include files, office supplies, lists of phone numbers, software, etc. You don’t want to spend the first half of your day looking for materials.

Set a timer, whether on your computer desktop or just a kitchen timer, for 45 minutes and work for that period without stopping. When the buzzer goes off, take 5 minutes to refresh yourself with a drink of water, a walk around the office or a few simple exercises, plus a toilet break if you need one. Then set the timer for another 45 minutes and repeat. After every three sessions, give yourself a 15-minute break. Stick with healthy, non-stodgy food so you don’t feel lethargic. If it helps, consume reasonable amounts of caffeine during the early part of the day.

When you have put in 8 hours on this schedule, you will find you have accomplished more work than you normally get done most weeks. You may also feel very tired, but it’ll be a good kind of tired.

Use a MAD whenever you want to gain momentum. You may even find that you want to turn one day each week into a Massive Action Day – if you do, you will astound others (and yourself) with your new productivity.

I regularly run online Massive Action Days. If you’d like to attend one, you can sign up at the website, www.CreativityNowOnline.com.