I’m a member of a community of experts called Thought Leaders. One of the community leaders in the US, Janine (Neen) James teaches about the power of attention. Her book, ‘Folding Time’ is a great read.
Neen reckons effective people learn to manage time. But those who are truly at the top of their game learn to fold time. They use time differently to the rest of us. They get an enormous amount of valuable work done without pressure or fluster. They are like the productivity equivalent of Buddhist monks – serene and wise and always two steps ahead.
I love this idea of folding time, and reckon you need to master three disciplines to do it effectively:
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- Minimise friction and distractions,
- Stay clear and focused on priorities, and
- Maximise technical and human resources.
Minimising friction & distractions
So much of our time is compromised by productivity friction and distractions. We can become victims of this, or we can take control and minimise the instances and the fallout. This requires identifying and dealing with the things within our control and influence that negatively impact our productivity, and a keen awareness of our behaviours and the behaviours of those around us.
Staying clear and focused on priorities
If we want to be super-productive, we need to be crystal clear about what we are trying to achieve, and about the appropriate next-step actions that will get us there. Then we need to stay super-focused on those actions. This requires us to be purposeful in everything we do, and to prioritise ruthlessly every day.
Maximising technical and human resources
We cannot do it alone. Those who fold time leverage the resources around them. We need to learn to get the most from our tools and platforms to maximise productivity. And we need to be organised enough to know what to delegate, and ensure we delegate early and well.
So, how are you doing in these three areas? Are you truly at the top of your productivity game? If not, have a think about how folding time could help you.
P.S. A great way to fold time would be to listen to my book, Smart Teams, which has recently been released in audio format on Audible.