Structure



There can be an initial challenge around how best to prioritize when engaging in a flexible work environment. It is important to first ask yourself whether you are engaging in work that is ultimately satisfying and what you want to be doing, instead of pushing yourself to complete tasks, blindly striving towards a goal that is nothing more than a tic mark on a to do list. This takes time to assess, and there are many resources to help in the process (books like Flow and Business Model You, just to mention a couple). Once you are engaging in fulfilling work, it is then important to build structure into your workday.  Structure begins with clear goals. If you are working for yourself, this will come from the overarching goal and mission of your business. If you are working as an employee or contractor, then these goals are created through conversations with a manager, and are a conclusion of how best to use your skills in support of the company. Clarity is key, otherwise you may get caught up in busy work or tasks that do not ultimately support your desired goal. 

Once engaged in fulfilling work with clearly outlined goals, structure is what speeds you to success. A lot has been said in recent years about information overload in this increasingly digital society. Where the hype was once for multitasking, light is being shed on the mind’s actual ability to process information and perform tasks effectively. There is more coming out on the neuroscience behind this, but here is a great little NPR article that introduces the topic nicely. Essentially we are lead back to focus- the age old method of clearing the mind of clutter and bring clarity to the present moment.  So, structure your day to allow yourself to focus on each task set before you. Instead of allowing in distractions, or trying to multitask, put it all aside and tackle one thing wholly. 

When there is not enough structure, or it shifts too often, then decision fatigue can set in. A snap shot of what that implies: “Virtually no one has a gut-level sense of just how tiring it is to decide. Big decisions, small decisions, they all add up. […] ‘Good decision making is not a trait of the person, in the sense that it’s always there,’ Baumeister says. ‘It’s a state that fluctuates.’ His studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who structure their lives so as to conserve willpower. They don’t schedule endless back-to-back meetings. They avoid temptations like all-you-can-eat buffets, and they establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of deciding every morning whether or not to force themselves to exercise, they set up regular appointments to work out with a friend. Instead of counting on willpower to remain robust all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for emergencies and important decisions.”[1]

So you may be starting to see that by leaving your day too open, you are actually diminishing your ability to be effective. Another way to phrase this is the “Tyranny of Choice”. Barry Schwartz wrote an article so titled where he mentions that too many choices increase the burden of having to gather information to make a wise decision. Increasing options does not increase well-being. Not having a structure to your day, not knowing when you should be checking email or when you should be singularly focused on the project at hand will ultimately lead you to being ineffective overall while still feeling overloaded, as if you were working too much. 

On that note, I will leave you with one more article about goals, focus, and structure. This article uses the perspective of being overcommitted, but it is on point and delves further into clarity, SMART goals, and the important, but too often overlooked need for down-time.


[1] Tierney, John. Do you suffer form decision fatigue? The New York Times. August 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

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