On this Monday morning of my most productive day of the week, I wanted to tell you about a new focus technique I tried for the first time.

Online co-working

What is this concept? It’s just what it sounds like. I gathered with a few professionals on a Zoom call. For the first 10 minutes, we caught up on life and each shared an intention for our working time. Then, we left the camera on and got to work on our individual tasks for 20 minutes.

I was shocked by how much I got done in such a short amount of time. I tend to get pretty squirrely in the evenings as I pop between eating, cleaning, walking, talking, and working on my own projects. But in those 20 focused minutes, I was tethered by peer pressure to my screen and poof 🪄 Real progress 😎

That’s when I realized the value of 20 minutes. Yet why do we rarely take advantage of these short windows of availability?

Why do we assume we need a full 30 or 60 minutes to devote to a task or a conversation? There’s nothing magical about these durations besides how they stack nicely in a calendar/planner. I know I often avoided diving into computer work since I didn’t expect I couldn’t finish. Instead, I would blow those 20 minutes on something less important (social media, news, chatting, etc.)

So the mantra I’m carrying into Oct is simple – 20 is plenty.

Let’s take it to work

The key to making the most of 20 minutes is breaking down big to-dos into something more bite-sized and putting them on your 20-minute list.

• Instead of waiting for an hour-long Make PowerPoint Deck time block, I can do these tasks in 20 minutes 👇
  • Whiteboard the talking points and visuals
  • Build rough draft of deck
  • Optimize deck flow
  • Incorprate feedback
  • Finalize graphics of deck
• Instead of Plan trip to LA – I break it down 👇
  • Book flight
  • Book hotel
  • Arrange childcare for trip
  • Put trip with logistics plan on family calendar

Most of us do this breakdown in our heads anyway.

The key 🔑 is being specific when writing down the task on your Kanban board, to-do list, or wherever you keep your 20-minute list. This way you don’t waste any time thinking of what to do next, you just do whatever is on your 20-minute list.

Remember the saying you can’t buy time? Well that’s only partially true.

While you can’t add to your 24-hour day, you CAN outsource the things that don’t bring you joy in favor of things that DO.

For years, before the school year began, I helped my kiddos declutter their room and bring a sense of order to their personal space. It starts out well enough, but often devolves into arguments and tears before we call it “good” as the sun sets on the Labor Day weekend.

But this year? I hired a professional to tackle this joyless task and she did a far superior job than I ever did, AND it freed us to enjoy the weekend as a family knowing we were truly ready for the new school year.

So what does this have to do with work? Everything. If you’re trying to balance work on one side, and life on the other – then this is life.

–> Grocery shopping, lawn care, cleaning, decluttering – it’s all part of life – and can eat up a ton of time.

But so are bike rides, impromptu volleyball games, travel, and BBQs with neighbors. That’s why I prefer to create a ​work-life rhythm​ so there’s room to move and groove between priorities for me, my family, my friends, my chores, and my professional endeavors.

The real question is how do you want to spend your “life” time?

What can you delegate or outsource to free your time for what matters most to you?

As much as I love sharing tips and strategies for wrangling your inbox, or bringing calm to your calendar – a better work week often starts at home.

Ready to give it a try? Here are some quick ideas for delegating and outsourcing:

1. Save an hour a week through grocery delivery or pickup – ​Here’s a quick video on how​
2. Save 4 hours every other week by hiring a house cleaner
3. Ask another parent to share driving duties for after-school activities
4. Rotate meal planning/cooking/clean up with people in your household (including the kids!)
5. Use a mobile car detail service that will come to your home or work

Here’s to a September that’s filled with renewed focus at work, and more time for the things you love after the laptop is closed