How much do you accomplish during an average workday?

If you’re like me, you probably spend most days completing many small, relatively unimportant tasks (I love Seth Godin’s term for this: “roach-stomping”).

You’re always working, but you wish you had more time to spend on the big stuff on your plate. You’re also frequently interrupted by other people and your own electronic devices.

We’re all busy. But busyness and productivity are not the same thing.

A Bold Alternative

Can you flip the narrative? Here’s an experiment you can conduct in just 90 minutes.

  1. Close Outlook or Gmail.
  2. Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb.”
  3. Shut the door.
  4. Turn on some white noise and put on headphones.
  5. Identify the most important thing on your plate.
  6. Set a timer for 90 minutes.
  7. Work only on that task for 90 minutes.

You will want to get up. You will want to open Facebook. Your hand will reach for your phone, unbidden. Use your other hand to slap it away.

This week, try 90 minutes of uninterrupted, hyper-focused work. It will be harder than you think, but it may also be the most productive 90 minutes you’ve had in weeks.