Tackle Your Biggest Projects With Your Daily Power Hour
When you think of “hour of power” you might think of a drinking game, but what we’re about to discuss is kind of the opposite of that. The Hour of Power is also a special productivity hack; it’s taken from Adrienne Herbert’s book , The Power Hour: How to Focus on Your Goals and Create a Life You Love, and asks you to dedicate an hour a day to working hard on your biggest challenge—or the thing you care about most.
What is the Hour of Power?
At its core, Power Hour is about freeing up some of your daily time and devoting it to something purposeful. The author uses flowery language here, saying that you should do this in the first hour of your day, “before the rest of the world needs your love, attention and energy,” and suggests using the Hour of Power for a task that matters to you. . However, you can adapt it to improve productivity even on tasks that are more necessary and boring than your favorite projects.
Herbert suggests using the first hour of the day for this, but you can also use the time of day that is most convenient for you. Everyone is different and has different productivity “peaks,” largely determined by the time of day and the so-called Yerkes-Dodson Law, which shows that you are likely to be most productive when you are under low stress (like a deadline). but not too much (for example, a period of 15 minutes ). Use time tracking software and a daily journal to figure out when you typically have your most productive moments, and then build your Power Hour around that. For the most part, this is a habit that you should try to develop and stick to, so it is recommended that you do the Power Hour every day at a predetermined time; but if something like a big project comes up, you have some wiggle room to move it around to suit your needs.
How to Use Power Hour to Increase Productivity
Once you’ve decided where you want Hour of Power to take place in your day, it’s time to get started. Here you will engage in deep work or continuous work focused solely on one task. Your first step to doing this is to block out the Hour of Power in a way that keeps you accountable and lets other people know you’re busy. Be sure to mark it on your calendar and stick to it, but also try to include it in public calendars, whether you use them with family or with co-workers.
Then you need to begin deep work, which means focusing your attention for an entire hour. A few things can help you do this:
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Software that blocks distractions, such as Cold Turkey (which can be scheduled) or Freedom (which works on multiple devices).
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Pomodoro style timer to count down the hour so you don’t have to look at the clock (just make sure it has a full 60 minute option; some don’t)
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A white noise machine with a built-in lamp that will eliminate distractions and make your workspace brighter.
Depending on how you usually work, Power Hour may take some time to get used to, especially if you tend to multitask or lose focus. However, once you get the hang of it, you can use it for a variety of tasks, including work events, cleaning the house, budgeting, or anything else you don’t have the time or attention to do in your daily life. A typical day. Communicating when you’re busy and sticking to a schedule is key, so be sure to plan for this before attempting it.