Meditations for Mortals (by Oliver Burkeman): A 4 week/28 day series with dailyish posts about the book
Week two - taking action
DAY THIRTEEN
Three hours
On finding focus in the chaos
On day thirteen, Burkeman talks about a “three hour rule.” He says:
You almost certainly can’t consistently do the kind of work that demands serious mental focus for more than about three or four hours a day.
He got this number from looking at many famous creatives including Charles Darwin and Virginia Woolf —among others — who followed similar work routines. Some did two hours in the morning, two in the evening. Others did two 90 minute sessions early on, with another shorter stint later in the day.
If I think about myself, 3 to 4 hours is also when I start to feel…“enough!” But it’s also often a privilege to be able to find that much time on a daily basis. I think when lucky —yes, this is a fabulous timeframe to work within. However, I’m exploring the imperfectionist in me thanks to this book. So I think I’m going to hit pause here for a second.
It’s wonderful that people like Charles Darwin or even Oliver Burkeman can find 3 hours daily to do their creative work. When I’m lucky, yes, it happens. But most days? If I get 1-2 solid hours, I consider myself on top of the world! Which brings me to another favorite writer of mine: James Clear.
He says:
Focus on getting 1 percent better everyday.
(I’d say “dailyish”)
Ok but 1 percent - that sounds doable and reasonable, yes? But what does it mean? If I plan to write a book or compose a series of duets or whatever, I have to change something about how I work or what I work on in order for this “thing” to come to life. This is the 1 percent. To me, it means just contributing something —even something small —towards the thing you want to do. It’s creating a system for nudging the work forward.
Lately, as I’ve been working on my duets, I’ve put in time each day or most days. When free time and inspiration combine, it’s NIRVANA! But I also know that some days are harder. Sometimes the best use of my time…is something else.
That’s why I appreciate this mindset more than any rigid rule. Rather than thinking, “If I don’t do 3-4 hours, I’ve failed,” I feel as though I’m contributing to something bigger, something important to me to see completed or to maintain on a dailyish basis. (Note: I don’t think Burkeman’s message is exactly that I’ve failed, but more on that below)
Back to James Clear:
The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.
So does it matter if it’s 3 hours, 4 hours, or 20 minutes?
Here’s more James Clear (I just love this guy!)
Grow fast, built to crash.
Grow slow, built to last.
And the best of all:
In theory, consistency is about being disciplined, determined, and unwavering. In practice, consistency is about being adaptable. Don’t have much time? Scale it down. Don’t have much energy? Do the easy version. find different ways to show up depending on the circumstances. Let your habits change shape to meet the demands of the day.
Adaptability is the way way of consistency.
Love it.
Back to Burkeman:
The real lesson – or one of them – is that it pays to use whatever freedom you do have over your schedule not to "maximise your time" or "optimise your day", in some vague way, but specifically to ringfence three or four hours of undisturbed focus (ideally when your energy levels are highest). Stop assuming that the way to make progress on your most important projects is to work for longer. And drop the perfectionistic notion that emails, meetings, digital distractions and other interruptions ought ideally to be whittled away to practically nothing. Just focus on protecting four hours – and don't worry if the rest of the day is characterised by the usual scattered chaos.
I see what he’s saying, but I just feel there’s something defeating here, or not realistic? It reminds me of a time when a teacher told my son that “if he didn’t have an hour to practice each day, he might as well forget about it.” My son’s response, “well, OK!” (Meaning, he was happy to forget about the practicing…).
Burkeman is not saying to not do the work. He’s cautioning us to be mindful not to overwork. However I think for most of us we’re lucky to get enough creative work time in to begin with (even with being committed to something or dedicated to a timeline to get something we love finished).
Maybe I’m missing something? Maybe I’m overthinking it. Of course Oliver Burkeman isn’t around to see me do 5 hours one day and 10 minutes the next. I guess we each have to find what works for us so we can keep making sure that the creative work we want to get out into the world does just that.
Thoughts:
Do you do creative work on a daily or dailyish basis? What amount of time works for you, usually? Is there a certain time of day or are there other required things you need in order to do your work? What are they?
