The title above probably sounds like a pointed question. In some respects, it is. However, we all get caught up in the “race to the finish line.” Unfortunately, this often can lead to stress, unnecessary fatigue, and eventual burnout.

Life doesn’t have to be that way, for any of us. I know what you are thinking. John, I am involved in a competitive world where every move is monitored by corporate headquarters. If I don’t “produce” ever increasing results, in less time than ever before, I could get…

What? Get out early, based upon good behavior? Sounds like a prison sentence! This outdated advice of suggesting that you can “sleep when you are dead” is ridiculous, and, based upon the rigors placed upon us sometimes, this state could be achieved sooner than we had hoped.

On the contrary, we all need to align with better nutrition and sleep schedules, but please allow me to add that we need to get the “corporate monkey off our backs.” In his book Deep Work, author Cal Newport stated “Our work culture’s shift toward the shallow (whether you think it’s philosophically good or bad) is exposing a massive economic and personal opportunity for the few who recognize the potential of resisting this trend and prioritizing depth – an opportunity that, not too long ago, was leveraged by a bored young consultant from Virginia named Jason Benn.”

In essence, he needed uninterrupted time to learn computer programming & move forward with his company activities. He needed to focus on learning this without distractions such as a call from Accounting, asking why your meal expense was $12.89 on March 24^th… The task that Benn was focusing on was an act of “Deep Work.” Newport states: “Most knowledge workers, however, as I argued earlier in this introduction, have lost their ability to perform deep work. Benn was no exception to this trend.”

Dan Sullivan of the Strategic Coach organization developed a concept called “Focus Days.” These are days when 80% or more of your time is devoted to revenue generating activities. On these days, as I said earlier, it’s too bad that Accounting needs more details on that $12.89 meal expense, but, in some respects, we need to be like the Janitor in the Tom Hanks movie Terminal. When Hanks approached him with a question, the Janitor asked, “Do you have an appointment?” As funny as that sounds, it is what many of us need to do to accomplish what Cal Newport calls “Deep Work!”

Author Adam Grant suggests:

“High Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) X (Intensity of Focus)

Cal Newport explained “By working on a single hard task for a long time without switching (his focus), Grant minimizes the negative impact of attention residue from his other obligations, allowing him to maximize performance on this one task.”

Are there ways you can implement this concept in your work life? I am willing to bet that there are. What will be the key to your success? Experimentation and Perseverance. Even if you have some doubts, stay with the process, and you will prevail. Stay focused, remain engaged with your goal, and you will get there!