The temple of clarity

Ahhh, the library. I miss libraries. (Image by Andrew Tan)

My most useless time of day is thirty minutes before a meeting.

Even if I set an alert on my phone, I have trouble focusing. I keep looking at the clock, shifting from window to window on my browser, and feeling restless.

I am telling myself a story about how thirty (and now twenty, and now ten) minutes isn’t enough time to get anything done. But the problem isn’t time at all. It’s focus.

In my best moments, I have clarity, energy, and focus. I know exactly what to do, I have the physical, mental, and emotional resources to do it, and I can sustain the attention necessary to see the work to its completion without getting distracted.

When I’m tired, hungry, upset, or anxious, it’s so much harder to get into the pocket and find that mental state where the work flows easily. However, I am getting better at spotting this dynamic. Instead of sitting listlessly at my desk not accomplishing much, I have begun to see myself as knocking at the door of that temple, trying to find a way in. And I’m improving my ability to find that door even when I’m not at my very best.

First, I’ve set up my schedule so that my meetings are clustered together instead of scattered throughout the day. This reduces the uncomfortable in-between times.

I spend time doing creative work in the early morning when I’m at my sharpest. I follow this with “top priority” work to build momentum.

I use timers and time-tracking to keep myself focused on one task or project at a time (no clicking between apps and tabs).

I’ll have tea or coffee when I feel like I need caffeine to come save the day, but I’ve also developed some placebo beverages to help cue me that it’s time to settle down and get some work done. Even a (spillproof!) bottle of water next to my computer can be helpful.

Going somewhere to work is an important ritual; I enjoy a cafe or coffee shop for this purpose. Since that’s not possible right now, I find ways to make it happen even in my own home, setting aside a specific space (with snacks, of course).

I have specific music that tells me I’m in work mode. I don’t always need it, but when it’s on, I know it’s time to get down to business.

When I can’t seem to get into the zone, I have tended to give up and try again later. I’ll work on a task that’s more physical or social. But lately, I’m learning to take a moment and experience what I’m feeling: the physical sensations and emotions that are contributing to my mental state. What is unresolved that needs to be? Do I need to take a walk around the block? Do I need to eat something? Or can I simply open the door and walk into the temple of clarity, knowing what that feeling is like and going after it directly? Increasingly, I can do it.

There isn’t any magic to getting work done. It’s easier when I feel great, but I’ve learned that I can also seek that feeling directly when it really counts. No matter how long it is until my next meeting or how long it’s been since I had a snack, I can dig into the tasks to be done and end the day (or a ten minute block) with a feeling of accomplishment. That’s enough to keep me going.

What do you do to enter the temple of clarity? How do you deal with it when you’re struggling with focus and energy? I’d love to hear in the comments.