The secret to getting sh*t done.

I sat down to write this blog an hour ago. Since then, I have been distracted by red notification dots, office antics, an article about coconut oil and how big my pores are. Getting shit done always seems worse when I am trying to focus. Truth: uninterrupted productivity is usually impossible - whether you are a solopreneur or have an office full of employees. There are random ideas and/or brainstorming sessions, people with questions, phone calls, emails, etc., that distract from pending projects. All of the trivial things that we mentally check off (i.e. checking emails or Facebook) seem like real work when we really are not getting anything done at all.

“Until further notice, Amber ain’t gonna be able to do it!”

Sometimes you have to get off the grid and become unavailable for a while. Once a month at Worx we schedule a Blackout Day. Here are the ground rules: no email, phone, internal or external meetings. While these things are important, they eat up a lot of time when there is a looming deadline. In the days leading up to the Blackout Day, each of us comes up with a personal plan of action for what is top priority. We turn off the phones, close out our emails and only communicate (if needed) though our in-office messaging system, Slack. And you know what? No client is ever upset because they didn’t get a response the same day. Things are generally never as urgent as we make them out to be. Our expectations for communication, meetings and deliverables make life very difficult if we aren’t consciously making an effort to schedule things out in a way that allows breathing room.

Staying focused and diligent is fantastic, but it is impossible to do it all alone. Get help when you need it so you can focus on the big picture. If there is someone that is able to take away some of the workload, delegation is a beautiful thing. Everyone at Worx is working towards the same goal, so it is in our best interest to help each other out when possible. If one person has a gap in their schedule and they can help complete a task, they do it. No one ever says that it isn’t their job. If one of us is a success, we all win.