How to get quality work
Who hasn’t felt overwhelmed by distractions or a lot of things to do at some point in their working life and found it difficult to concentrate and be more effective?
Sometimes we want to do a lot of things in our 8 hours of work, but we have to make them as productive as possible so that we don’t have to work longer hours and don’t feel tired and overwhelmed.
To achieve this goal, let’s understand the importance of attention.
Why attention is our “Superpower”
Attention helps to keep the brain active, to generate new connections and thus to maintain brain function. The brain is, at any age, a dynamic organ in constant change, so stimulation is essential.
Why attention is important? Because during the day at work we have many stimuli and a lot of things to attend to.
“Our brain can only produce one or two thoughts at a time in the conscious mind. We are single-minded. This is because of the fundamental structure of the brain”, this is that Earl Miller, neuroscientist.
Next, we can understand what it is quality work. That Aristotle says: “Quality is not an act, it is a habit”. To get our goal and the true excellence is not the result of sporadic efforts, but the outcome of consistent and deliberate actions.
Quality work consists of dedicating the necessary time and effort to achieve the objectives set without having to dedicate more time to it. In order to do so, it is the vital importance to organise and plan very well each day and hour in order to make the most of this time.
Making mindfulness a habit
The ability to concentrate deeply is a skill that must be trained, it must become a habit. Make intellectual work difficult, but important in long, uninterrupted segments.
You can practice “productive meditation”: take a period of physical but not mental occupation such as walking, running, driving, bathing, etc. and concentrate on a single, well-defined professional problem, And as in familiar meditation, when the mind wanders to other thoughts, redirect it to that problem and focus on it.
The most important benefits of that are:
- Contributes to improving or strengthening the muscles of resistance to distraction, as it forces s to return to the subject.
- It helps to deepen concentration, as it forces one to go deep into a single problem.
The importance of rest and disconect
Tp work intensaly and focus, it is very important to rest each day due to this time contributes to recharging the energy needed to do deep work (minimum 7 – 8 hrs at day). Before of that, it’s very important to put a strict end to our working day to disconect your mind to have a good balance beetween work and personal life.
The 4 rules of deep work
- Work with depth: Prioritize tasks requiring creativity (strategy, reporting,writing…)
- Open the doors to boredom and rest.
- Quit Social Media, these tools easily disconnect you from deep work.
- Eliminate the superficial (plan and eliminate work that does not lead to important things)
DO’s and DON’TS for getting quality work done
Dos’s:
- Planning your day and your work: including moments at day for deep work.
- Find a place to do deep work, and where you feel good to concentrate.
- If in ypur office or your house there are a noise, use noise- canceling headphones to focus in your tasks.
- Practice “productive meditation” that could helps you get an habit and to concentrate in your dailys.
Don’ts:
- Don’t use the Internet or Social Networks for entertainment.
- Avoid multitasking during critical tasks.
- Avoid reading mail constantintily. If you need to check mail during your work, schedule blocks.
- Avoid notifications in the smartphone or laptop.
To sump up, deep work is the difference between being busy and being impactful.
The best way to make the most of your time, whether at work or in life, is to concentrate and pay attention to the present moment in order to get the most out of the activity you are doing, so take your time and put it into practice.
