Metaphorically, in our work environment, the concept of a Goldilocks zone can be applied to find the right balance to create our most productive work environment.

Too much focus on work can lead to burnout; while too little focus could get us fired!

David Ard, Senior Vice President of Employee Success for Slack and Salesforce says:

“Focus time, collaboration time, connection, and rest are like the macronutrients of a workday. The right balance gives you the energy you need to work your best. We cannot consider these critical components of our work in silos. To be our most effective, we must create the space for collaborative work and for focused work.”

According varied surveys conducted by Slack and Salesforce, on average, “desk workers” say the ideal amount of focus time is around four hours a day.

People who say they spend too much time in meetings are more than twice as likely to say they don’t have enough time to focus.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all schedule that applies across all industries, roles, and job levels, a close examination of their data revealed a formula emerging that could set employees up for success.

Regardless of their job, the research showed a “Goldilocks zone” (that four hours) for the ideal balance of focus time, collaboration time, social connection, and downtime.

Note, skipping breaks is counterproductive — it can also adversely affect your mental health!

"Employees who rarely or never take breaks at work are nearly 2x more likely to burn out than those who do," Slack found. Wow!

On the other hand, their “break-taking counterparts,” showed higher scores for work-life balance, productivity, job satisfaction, and a greater ability to manage stress and anxiety.

Interesting information, huh?

How can we create our Goldilocks zone?

Timeboxing!

What is that?

1. Give each task on your to-do list an allotted amount of time.
2. Schedule it on your calendar.
3. Then block out any distractions while you’re working on it.
4. Continue your work until the allotted time is over.
5. Now evaluate your progress and move on to the next item on your to-do list.

So, in essence, we’re “boxing ourselves into a corner” for a specific time frame to work on one single task only.

Absolutely no multitasking!

Slack's research suggests the easiest and most effective way to boost productivity is to set clear guidelines for how we spend our time and energy.

“Proactively scheduling blocks of time on your calendar to focus — and a few breaks throughout the day to restore your ability to focus — is “really critical” for productivity, says Christina Janzer, senior vice president of research and analytics at Slack.

“That’s where you have the time and space to be innovative and creative, to effectively accomplish the tasks on your plate and reflect on longer-term career goals,” she explains.

Timeboxing, of course, isn’t a perfect science says Janzer.

You’ll need to adjust the allocations and make some tradeoffs to craft a realistic schedule, but even taking small steps to incorporate timeboxing into your schedule can “work wonders” for your well-being and focus.

Janzer says, “What we see from our data is that people are overwhelmed trying to do too much and balance all of these competing priorities.”

“The feeling of always needing to be ‘on,’ to do it all, can really hurt both employees and businesses.”

Timeboxing is one approach that may help us gain control of ourselves and find our goldilocks zone.

I’m excited to give it a try.

How about you?

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