If you have ever owned a hamster or seen one at a pet store you will remember them running on the hamster wheel. Actually, we can all learn something from these innocent little hamsters. When you think about it in business terms running on the wheel is actually something we all do during business hours.
Let’s say you have a project that you really need to get completed by a specific date. It’s been on your calendar for weeks and you know you have a specific amount of hours blocked out on your calendar to dedicate to completing this task. When the time comes to focus on this task, you close your office door and get to work. You don’t want any interruptions to block your concentration. This is in a sense like running on a hamster wheel.
If you take a few moments to actually watch a hamster running on a wheel you will notice something important. The hamster can’t eat while on the hamster wheel, or do anything else for that matter. It can only do the task at hand, in the hamster’s case running on the wheel for exercise, in your case, focusing on a project.
Some hamsters think they are clever and put food in their mouth and then get on the wheel and start chewing, while it lasts for a few seconds, the poor little hamster wipes out and gets thrown off the wheel, or simply spins around until it stops.
This is similar to what happens when you try to complete a task while dealing with interruptions. Your intention is no interruptions so you can focus on your project. But then a co-worker or associate contacts you and invites you for lunch or asks if you want to order something to be delivered to the office. While it’s nice of your associate to include you, it actually throws you off focus, and basically, you wipe out, just like the hamster. Once this happens you have to focus on getting back on the wheel again, sometimes this can be difficult and delay the completion of your project.
When you are planning to focus on a project for a set amount of time you should take measures to minimize distractions. First, send an email and/or text to anyone who would bother you letting them know you will be unavailable for a few hours and you will get back to them afterward. Next, put your cell phone on silent while you work. Even though you don’t plan to pick up the messages while you work, the constant beeping will interrupt your thought process. Most important, make the best of your time while you have uninterrupted focus and enjoy being on the hamster wheel.