Productivity Zones

Productivity is the effectiveness of productive effort. As it relates to my industry, web design, I think it’d be helpful to compare and combine a few viewpoints of my peers. I’ve uncovered a few things that haven’t been said yet, so bear with the pseudo redundancy. I’m mostly writing this for me, in an effort to organize my thoughts around the thoughts of others.

I want to explore the interconnectedness of the “Short Zone” and the “Long Zone”. Two zones, at opposite ends of the spectrum, that reinforce each other and require a healthy balance to stretch the capacity of each other.

Welcome to The Zone

A brief introduction to those unfamiliar with the zone. One zone, that I’ve dubbed the “Short Zone,” can only happen right now. While the other, the “Long Zone”, is keeping mindful of where you’re going (in life) and where you’ve been. They’re both mutually interdependent. One balances the other. Like holding hands with someone and leaning back. Keeping a balance is the only way to be.

As it’s been said before by others, the most productive work is done in “the zone.” Dan Benjamin captures the essence of being in “the zone” and compares it to reading a good book in the right environment.

Uninterrupted, you could continue like this for several hours without even noticing the progress of time – and without feeling like you’re exerting any real effort.

Getting into the zone isn’t easy. It’s easier to get knocked out of, what I’ll call, the “Short Zone” defined as – an uninterrupted state of productivity.

Interruption is the enemy of productivity

It takes an average of 15 minutes to get the momentum to work at full productivity. And it only takes a nudge to knock you off course. Joel Spolsky gets it. He asserts even the smallest interruption could set you back 15 minutes. In the example of a colleague interrupting with a question:

… He could look it up, which takes 30 seconds, or he could ask Jeff, which takes 15 seconds. Since he’s sitting right next to Jeff, he asks Jeff. Jeff gets distracted and loses 15 minutes of productivity (to save Mutt 15 seconds).

All it takes is a little interruption, and you’re back to square one. 37Signals warns against interruptions as well:

Just make sure this period is contiguous in order to avoid productivity-killing interruptions.

Enter the “Long Zone”

Tim Van Damme calls this moment the Creative Zen. He found his in what seems to be a mild case of déjà vu, in a situation he frequently found himself.

Once and a while, you got to step back from what you’re doing, and look at the bigger picture. I’m not talking about where a project is going, or if you will make that deadline or not. I’m talking about where you are going.

“Where am I going?” – it’s an important question to ask yourself. Neglecting asking yourself big questions like this will cause less productivity in the Short Zone.

I sometimes catch myself in this state while I’m laying in bed, staring at the city-lit ceiling. It’s then, that I get a few minutes of peace and quiet to consider the less obvious.

My warning is this: If the Long Zone is left unattended for a while, the frequency of reaching your “Short Zone” suffers, and shallows out the depth or duration of the Short Zone.

Much like after a vacation. You may feel refreshed and itch to get back to work. It’s a great feeling! But you don’t need to go on vacation to reach the Long Zone. It sometimes sneaks up, unexpectedly. Much like the Short Zone, as Dan Benjamin mentioned:

Creativity doesn’t always happen on a predetermined schedule.

Neither does the Long Zone happen on a predetermined schedule. Be on the lookout. It’ll enrich your Short Zone experience and expand your capacity to remain in that state of uninterrupted productivity.