Photo courtesy of liber. 7 Ways Being Unbalanced Can Make You More Productive
Article by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead; follow him on twitter.
Sometimes you need to become unbalanced in order to get things done. If you’re working on a book, launching a business or trying to overhaul some part of your life, you can probably relate.
The benefits of being focused on one thing might not be the most original topic. I know. We all know that when you’re incredibly focused, you’ll make progress on the important stuff. I’m not going to talk about why that’s smart here. I already know you’re smart (you’re reading this blog right?).
What’s missing, I think, is advice for just how to stay focused on one thing. You probably also won’t hear that it’s perfectly OK to become completely unbalanced for short periods of time. It might even be critical to your success. Please keep in mind, I don’t recommend any of these techniques be used on a long-term basis. But they can be practicality essential for short productive bursts.
- Embrace imbalance. We all crave balance, but sometimes it gets in the way of doing things that are important. Sometimes in order to be effective you need to be completely immersed in what you’re doing. Toe dipping just won’t suffice. To do that, you’ll need to embrace life-balance craziness and become consumed in your work. This of course is intended for short bursts and shouldn’t be a long term strategy. (Loss of a realistic sleep schedule is usually a good sign you’ve gone too far.)
- Be incredibly flaky. This will probably not be easy to swallow, but if you’re working on a really big, important project, you’ll likely have to let other stuff slide. You’ll need to become really flaky. You might need to not show up for meetings, clear your schedule and leave unnecessary events unattended.
- Disappear. In order to focus on what’s important, you may need to isolate yourself. That could mean going to work at a library, cafe or just putting up a “do not disturb” sign over your door. Make sure you communicate to your loved ones that you’ll need some temporary solitude. If you have co-workers that have a habit of bothering you, tell them you’re working on an important project and you need to focus. They can email you or leave a note and you’ll get to it later. Embellish if you need to. It’s not your fault other people don’t have their priorities straight.
- Stop caring. Caring in most situations is an incredibly healthy thing. In fact, you’d probably consider people that don’t care as cold or callous, and I agree. What’s not good is when excessive caring keeps you from doing the things that really matter. If you’re more concerned with a perfect desk and an immaculate filing system, you’ll probably get less done on that novel you really want to write or that business you want to start up. Try to see how much you can give up caring about things that really don’t make a difference.
- Triage ruthlessly. Sometimes things seem important, but you’re really just responding to whatever comes up. Learn to take stock of what’s really important and use it to guide your attention. Productivity is really just about mastering attention. Triage your attention to focus only on tasks that support your primary aim. Delete, put off, or batch the rest for a later date.
- Disconnect. Turn off the TV and the internet. Cancel your cable subscription. Go on an information fast. Do whatever you need to do to disconnect from distractions. Create a minimalist workspace that allows you to focus on what’s meaningful.
- Drop out. If you’re working on getting your dreams off the ground, you’ll need to quit all of the things that don’t matter. Take an assessment of things in your life that aren’t provided you any meaningful value. Take out what’s not working and not getting any results. You’ll be left with the awesome.
I recommend following these tips with a grain of salt. Obviously disappearing too long might make your partner (or friends) very unhappy. (My wife helps keep me in check with this.)
But these tools can be seriously valuable when working on a big project that really requires being hyper-focused.
What’s interesting is that it’s often the times when you’re completely out of equilibrium and your life is a mess, that you remember what it means to be balanced. It helps give you a reference point to get back on track.
Just make sure you sleep once in a while. =)
PS: My upcoming ebook, Reclaim Your Dreams - A Step By Step Guide to Making Your Dreams a Reality, will be launching on January 13th to help you on your path. For exclusive tips on fast-tracking making your dreams a reality and a special, exclusive discount on my book for Zen Habits readers go here to get on the list.
This article was written by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead of Illuminated Mind. To learn more about how to reclaim your life, grab a subscription to Illuminated MInd
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- Spewed into the world on 11 January 2009 in Productivity & Organization |
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Brilliant comments (63)
Tabitha (From Single to Married) Says:
January 11th, 2009, 9:33 am
I’ll have to give this list to some of my family and friends so they understand why I get “flaky” sometimes when I’m trying to make a deadline. I agree that sometimes you have to just isolate yourself so that you can focus on what needs to be finished. The hard part, is making sure that this doesn’t happen too often so that you end up isolating yourself permanently.
Corey - Simple Marriage Says:
January 11th, 2009, 9:33 am
Creative Jonathan! I love number 1. When we are imbalanced, we are increase the likeliness we will grow.
Through discomfort, comes growth.
HowToMakeMyBlog.com Says:
January 11th, 2009, 9:50 am
I agree. In last few years there has been so much talk how multi-tasking can improve your productivity. I still find the best way to get the best out of me, is just to stick with one thing and focus completely on it. No multi-tasking.
Some of these steps would probably be too much if you followed them all, but finding a healthy balance between your important project and other things in your life would optimize it all.
Marko
jackie sheeler Says:
January 11th, 2009, 10:06 am
this reminds me a little of natalie goldberg’s writing suggestions in “wild mind” — and i have found it to be so true in my own life. i’ve been working on a full-length book for a while, and when i make a teeth-clenched commitment such as “i will spend X hours every weekday working on this” it’s actually counterproductive. if i go and work on other creative projects — poems, songwriting, playing the guitar or something — but keep the big book in the back of my mind, i often find new inspiration and ideas that i know i’d never get just sitting grimly at my notebook during the appointed time, trying to “make” myself get it done.
kathy Says:
January 11th, 2009, 10:12 am
Disappear.
This works the best for me when I need to get something critical done. Just this past Friday, I disappeared with a colleague to a seldom-used visitor office. We got so much work done on our project. No one knew where we were because we were disconnected from our phones and email. It gave us time to work without distractions and interruptions. Sometimes you just have to re-draw the boundaries temporarily.
Gyorgy Says:
January 11th, 2009, 10:14 am
I think this is a bad idea.
I done this already and can tell you that you will hurt your loved ones.
What’s the point to achieve anything if you can’t share it with somebody… this is how humans work, they need to share
Relax Says:
January 11th, 2009, 10:31 am
Thanks for the unbalance tips
I remember reading a cool book mXe! by Azizi Ali. he says that to live a fulfilling and exciting life, we cannot be balance and moderate. We must become extremeists!
which means unbalance :-)
your friend Relax ~
Scott Williams Says:
January 11th, 2009, 11:04 am
Have have to balance the seasons of unbalance… self-awareness is critical!
Steve @ Freedom Education Says:
January 11th, 2009, 11:08 am
Hey Jonathan - you nailed it! This line caught my attention:
“Productivity is really just about mastering attention.”
I agree - mastering your will or will power; the power of directing and guiding your mind - to give yourself a command and follow it.
Amanda Linehan Says:
January 11th, 2009, 11:09 am
#3 Disappear - I often think it’s clear to other people the signs that I give when I want or need to be alone (to get some work done, or just for reflection purposes), but often it’s not! Directly giving the message to people that you need some space is a must for solitude.
Don Mills Diva Says:
January 11th, 2009, 11:20 am
These ARE great tips and I totally agree but it seems that the key to success in, well, just about everything, is taking good, solid, common-sense advice like this and APPLYING it - now there’s the rub…
Les_D Says:
January 11th, 2009, 11:26 am
Great tips, and effective! One way to manage the “flake factor” — tell people you’re not going to be at a meeting (family event, etc.) and what, if anything, you’ll do to get caught up. Don’t just not attend!
15 Minutes to Riches! Says:
January 11th, 2009, 11:45 am
Another great article, Jonathan!
@Gyorgy
It’s all about balance. :) You can balance the “unbalanced” periods of your life, too. As Jonathan said in the article, this isn’t a long-term fix, but a temporary solution for when you desperately need to get something done. As long as you don’t overdo it, it’s not going to hurt anybody.
dr aletta Says:
January 11th, 2009, 11:56 am
Loved the irreverent attitude in this article. Fun to read. Thanks!
Vincent Says:
January 11th, 2009, 12:17 pm
Hey Jonathan,
I agree that sometime being unbalanced will be helpful to us whenever we need to tackle huge projects that we will need to be totally immersed in it in order to see great success.
Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger
Bruce Elkin Says:
January 11th, 2009, 12:22 pm
Great piece. So happy to find someone besides org guru Peter Drucker who think “balance” is over-rated. He said most successful entrepreurs were “monomaniacs with a mission.”
Check out my article about “integrating” life and work @ http://tinyurl.com/Beyond-Balance
I’m gonna bookmark yours!
Philip Says:
January 11th, 2009, 13:00 pm
I find that sleep is the first thing to go if I am committed to a project. I like the idea of dropping out of things that don’t matter, but the problem lies in the things you have to do. A day job can really hurt your focus or other obligations. If you are able to find a way to immerse yourself in something as soon as you are done with obligations then that will take some self-discipline but you will be able to get things done even if you are interrupted.
Good post.
Relax Says:
January 11th, 2009, 13:14 pm
by being unbalanced,
we can leverage our center of gravity to yield great force from our weight. :-)
your friend Relax ~
Relax Says:
January 11th, 2009, 13:32 pm
Just curious….
imbalance VS unbalance
which one is correct ?
sometimes English is damm confusing.
According to Physics, that cutie blond girl is balanced because she’s in equilibrium,
if she’s imbalanced or unbalanced,
she would have her face hit on the floor….
poor thing~
haha just kidding. Happy Monday guys!
your friend Relax ~
DJ Sartin Says:
January 11th, 2009, 14:29 pm
Very insightful and inspiring article Leo!
Sometimes finding our ‘balance’ means finding what the best balance of total focus, time alone, quality time with family, and fun, is what will allow us to achieve our intended results in a way that is empowering and without damaging relationships with others or even delaying our own progress towards the desired outcome.
That old saying, ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear’, is so true. After trying every trying so many times to find a time management plan, setting priorities, making lists, etc…
..I read Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People”. After having the discipline to use the four quadrant time management grid to assign new priorities to the list of things I wished to accomplish, regularly, for just a week, each time I wished to record something to ‘things to do’ lists, I was able to just recognizing it’s importance to the desired results and it changed my life!
One must for me, daily, at whatever time of day or night is to get outdoors and marvel at the wonders of nature…’stop and smell the roses’…always comes to mind these days just when needed most…as do other bits from songs, books, and past things heard…
DJ
Chris Willitts Says:
January 11th, 2009, 15:47 pm
Great article! Yes, sleep is an important way to add some “balance” when you need to be “unbalanced.”
Pat Says:
January 11th, 2009, 16:13 pm
Thanks for sharing that, however that can be a really tough thing to achieve especially at home.
It can be really hard to concentrate on building my business at home when all my family wants my attention a lot. However, I think I need to get a bit tougher on demanding time for me - not just for work but for pleasure.
I often find I give so much of myself to everyone else there is nothing left for me and if there is I usually feel guilty for not doing something else.
It is a difficult balance.
Kelly Says:
January 11th, 2009, 16:50 pm
I am multi-tasking right now - I am doing laundry (ok the dryer and washer are doing the hard work), IMing a friend, surfing all my usual blogs and sites, eating chips and drinking a diet soda - and I am not doing any of the m very well and it’s stressing me out.
Gennaro @ Enduring Wanderlust Says:
January 11th, 2009, 16:54 pm
Now that’s thinking outside the box, Jonathan. I give you credit for presenting something different. It’s not easy to go into a shell for awhile or to be flaky (especially if you are usually very ordered and dependable), but it’s an interesting concept. It could work.
DJ Sartin Says:
January 11th, 2009, 17:12 pm
Hi Jonathan…apologize for showing thanks to Leo…just saw zen_habits and didn’t notice you wrote the article!
See no way to edit my post, so will simply again sincerely apologize for the goof…
Keep shinin’,
DJ
J.D. Meier Says:
January 11th, 2009, 17:48 pm
Obsessive results works.
You just need to know what you’re trading.
… and like you say, it’s not a long-term strategy … it’s a way to bootstrap your success.
jessica Says:
January 11th, 2009, 18:20 pm
When I get home from my day job, I disconnect both my phones (home and cell) leave my house in a mess and just go for it on my current project - sometimes my family don’t understand, but since they can’t get in contact to complain about it, its all good ;)
Andre Kibbe Says:
January 11th, 2009, 18:57 pm
Disappear, stop caring, disconnect — all terrific strategies for recovering and regrouping. In my experience, people who are constantly immersed in work and the concerns of others never allow themselves the time and space to create the perspective necessary to prioritize their commitments, or even define them.
WTL Says:
January 11th, 2009, 19:01 pm
Some great advice there. I sort of follow most of those rules already, but specifically, canceling our cable was one of the best productivity things we ever did *and* it made us much more specific in the media we consume.
Instead of watching many shows, we watch a few streamed ones, but mostly watch video podcasts we’ve downloaded in iTunes and discuss them.
Very Evolved Says:
January 11th, 2009, 19:54 pm
Jonathan,
One thing at time is best way the brain can work. As long as there is a defined end point to the “unbalanced” life then it can be very productive.
Good work on the illuminated mind, great site.
Patrick
SharonLD Says:
January 11th, 2009, 20:27 pm
I’m glad you posted this because I find myself having to take these measures every now and then because of having a problem getting focused. Thanks!
Duff Says:
January 11th, 2009, 20:28 pm
Thanks again Jonathan, for helping me justify my cynical, flaky, imbalanced life. A great number of philosophers and artists lead such bizarre and chaotic lives, and we are all better off for it.
~Duff
Amelia Says:
January 11th, 2009, 21:00 pm
I am in the final months of my PhD and this article couln’t be more relevent to me at the moment - thankyou!
Joshua Moore Says:
January 11th, 2009, 22:03 pm
Excellent post. As an individual who is beginning to have more responsibilities with multiple businesses I am pleased to see someone who shares my thoughts and opinions. My Employers are able to see the light also as most of them run multiple businesses and progression seems to be occurring on a steady basis.
Dallas Says:
January 11th, 2009, 23:15 pm
This is very important in the fitness world when you have one specific goal. It can be easy to venture over to improving you strength, when you actually set out a goal to lose weight.
Nick Grimshawe Says:
January 11th, 2009, 23:56 pm
I am learning to do all those things. I guess my biggest consideration that often prevents me from really blocking out all the distractions, is my need to be courteous to people and not hurt their feelings, my begging off. I need to work on that.
Great pointers.
Nick
Zoe Says:
January 12th, 2009, 0:01 am
I agree with you strongly, yet this is one area I often struggle with. I seek balance by nature, and I really have to push myself to create the imbalance you describe when I need full immersion in a project.
When I wrote my thesis, I fit the above descriptions pretty well — embracing a nutty schedule, disappearing… and it worked, undoubtedly.
DKumar M. Says:
January 12th, 2009, 0:10 am
I like the odd style attitude in this article… and nice writing too !!
Julie Says:
January 12th, 2009, 0:24 am
Interesting post Leo and really different from what I’ve read before. I agree that sometimes being imbalanced is important. Sometimes you just have to in order to be the most productive. For example, I am in graduate school and I will never graduate if I am always balanced. Sometimes I need to say no to parties and outing’s so that I am able to succeed in that area of my life!
Thank you!
Tim A. Bohlen Says:
January 12th, 2009, 5:02 am
Quite simple but a really worthwhile tip is “Stop caring.”.
In everyday neurotic life we began to care about anything because of we are not 100% involved with mind and soul in all we do. Or: We care about nothing because we don’t care (honestly). But this “new” approach is for all sensitive people who cared the whole time and didn’t get theyre things done.
Chuck Says:
January 12th, 2009, 6:23 am
I feel better now about my bouts of imbalance. My problem is that I enter them too often. I guess it goes back to my undergraduate college days…cramming for tests in a study room in the deep recesses of the library. I’m still doing it 29 years later and I love it!
Harold Says:
January 12th, 2009, 7:13 am
Jonathan,
I stumbled upon your blog yesterday, made it a favorite and today… wow… you hit me like a big train!
At the moment I am completely unproductive. I have to make some severe decisions concerning my business future and all I do is think, worry and think. Respond to mail I don’t need to respond to…
I feel imbalanced one might say :-)
So now I am going to isolate and embrace. See if that works.
Thanks from Holland!
Harold
Simona Rich Says:
January 12th, 2009, 9:07 am
You do need to be imbalanced sometimes. But that’s ok as long as you know how to get back to the usual balance.
Ren Says:
January 12th, 2009, 9:39 am
Thanks Jonathan. I really needed to read that post today.
I’m working on bringing FOCUS into my life.FollowOneCourseUntilSuccessful. Great writing!
cheryl Says:
January 12th, 2009, 10:13 am
i’d love to hear thoughts from you and any commenters who have ideas about this question:
how long is too long for unbalancing on purpose?
Caleb - Double Your Gains Says:
January 12th, 2009, 10:51 am
Great Article.
I’ve found when you’re trying to accomplish something hard you need to get unbalanced for a little bit… and the top performers in any industry in the world are generally chronically inbalanced (not saying that’s a great thing, but there you go!)
– Caleb
Lorrette Young Says:
January 12th, 2009, 11:05 am
I love it!!
I always thought what I was doing (which is pretty much everything you are suggesting in this article) was strange behavior. I have to say it works for me and I am so pleased to see that I am not alone.
Seems creativity does require a degree of ‘off the wall behavior’ at times.
TriGuy Says:
January 12th, 2009, 14:21 pm
The flaw here is confusing “balanced” with “moderation” — it’s a common mistake.
Picture a seesaw. Those who espouse “balance” say to put all the weight right in the middle . . . on the fulcrum. But if you take half the weight to one extreme and the other half to the other extreme, you are, in fact, still balanced. Going to extremes has nothing to do with balance, as long as you’re playing on the right seesaw.
Trouble is, people tend to play on the seesaw they’re told to (or the one that’s easiest to get to, etc.) and then complain about being unbalanced. But that’s a different discussion.
Healthy Weight Loss Girl Says:
January 12th, 2009, 15:10 pm
Very interesting and very true. Such a great attitude towards being unbalanced!
Maura Says:
January 12th, 2009, 15:37 pm
Love your article, Jonathan!
Balancing poses, especially of the standing-on-one-leg variety, are very difficult for me in my yoga practice. I keep trying, wobbling, falling, and getting up again.
Developing focus and concentration are a big part of “getting” it; but strength, centering and correct alignment are too. So even the two-legged poses that challenge my sense of balance help me improve. Too much thinking can also get me in trouble - it’s better to find that place of “flow.”
In order to improve means I have to set time aside to practice, and make it a priority. I could just stick to the “easy” poses, but it wouldn’t get me anywhere!
Rob Says:
January 12th, 2009, 17:12 pm
Information is the bane of our lives. Its everywhere and never stops, it blots out all useful activity and destroys any tendency to creativity. Most of it is useless, irrelevant, biassed, deceitful, deceptive and damaging to our health.
Do I like information? I love it. We all do. But, like alcohol and drugs, it’s monumentally counter-productive unless consumed in tiny doses at precisely the right time.
The Low Information Diet should be familiar to anyone who’s read The 4-Hour Workweek. Timothy mentions what a lot of us realize but don’t know how to help - we are being overloaded with information. From newspapers to news to blogs to websites, we are constantly overstimulated with facts. It consists of:
* No web surfing
* No excessive email checking
* No RSS
* No news (really, the world will still turn)
* No non-entertainment television (ideally no television)
* No nonfiction books
As long as you’re trying to keep up with incoming information, there’s no way to have sufficient perspective to distinguish between the content with high relevance and the content that’s consumed out of habit.
The less frequently you keep up with new developments in a given field of interest, the more perspective you’ll have on them.
So, maybe you should give this a shot. Try out a low-information diet for a week and see how much more productive you can become.
adelaide website design Says:
January 12th, 2009, 20:22 pm
Being incredibly flaky - man that was brilliant. I laughed pretty hard when I read that.
Great post Jon - your writing style continues to improve.
Well done.
Kat Eden Says:
January 12th, 2009, 22:05 pm
In 2008 I dilly-dallyed on my second book for months. I just didn’t have the additional day-to-day time to move forward with it, or didn’t make the time.
Finally I disappeared for 3 days. Over one long weekend I wrote 60,000 words. It felt amazing. Mind you, my left hand didn’t work properly for about 3 weeks after that!
Now I just have to edit that darn thing and start promoting it on my blog!
Christopher Says:
January 12th, 2009, 23:24 pm
YES! My favorite post title in a long time. Thanks for the tips.
Bryan Says:
January 13th, 2009, 0:04 am
Great Post, By the Way I saw you in Psychology Today! I had no idea you were the speech writer for the President of Guam!! Keep up the good work..
Mike King Says:
January 13th, 2009, 3:20 am
I think the point of stop caring is one to take advantage of. People put a lot of care to things with little meaning and little care tot hings with a lot of meaning. It covers several of the other items listed as well so this ones has the most impact to me.
Thanks for the article.
Anonymous Says:
January 14th, 2009, 7:20 am
I agree with you. But my girl just dumped me coz I am “unbalanced” and not able to do many things simultaneously.
Taylor at Household Management 101 Says:
January 14th, 2009, 16:45 pm
I am trying to do this right now - cut out other things and really focus on a new business venture. I have run into problems with my kids being jealous of the time I have worked on this though — even though 95% of the time I do it after they have gone to bed before I start.
Well, I will continue to work on the business venture and work at being a good parent. Like you said, you can’t let everything slide, but some things, the unimportant things (not the kids) can.
Clarity Jones Says:
January 14th, 2009, 23:29 pm
yes, agreed, these measures are sometimes necessary for the really big things you want to accomplish.
Michael Palmer Says:
March 9th, 2009, 14:48 pm
Amazing freedom when you can take the meaningless tasks out of life. Thanks for the article.
Mr. X of Real Muscle Building Says:
April 27th, 2009, 12:34 pm
I can definitely attest to point number 6. When I’m supposed to be trying to get things done on the computer I inevitably find myself scowering YouTube or some other website.
…Take now for instance!
(But, since this is actually advice on how to get on, I can sort of twist it that I’m working. Just.)
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