What I learnt in an hour

Passionate cyclist and social media extraordinaire Phoebe talks multi-tasking and the power of focus.

I am terrible for multi-tasking. I often have various things going on and fortunately I have developed the ability to juggle tasks and work across projects at the same time. This might seem like an advantage; and sometimes, it is. But it’s only when I limit myself to one thing that I realise the power of focus.

This week I completed the unofficial hour. In wake of Bradley Wiggin’s hour record, my triathlon club has a friendly competition running. Cycle for an hour at the Preston Park velodrome and share your results (via Strava of course). I decided to give this a go at 10am on a Thursday morning.

I cycled in a circle for an hour; completely switched off from the digital world and not even listening to music.

When I got back to my desk, it all made sense.

Start as you mean to go on

When you begin a task it deserves your undivided attention. When I’m working I can be distracted so easily by an email, tweet, text, you name it; which will undoubtedly lead me onto a trail of inquisitive nature. Out on the bike, there was nothing but the red line of the velodrome ahead of me.

I was able to systematically structure my thoughts in order to attack this task with my best effort. For the first few laps I focused solely on my cadence. I was conscious to not go off too fast in fear of blowing up before the hour. Once in a steady rhythm, I crafted a time management plan for the task at hand.

Initially, I split the hour into 20 minute sections, giving myself some big goals. As I spun the pedals and stared at my Garmin, the goals seemed unachievable and I started to doubt my ability.

You have to work small to achieve big

When you start a project it’s important to set some goals. I usually set a bunch. Some aspirational, some more realistic. It’s then equally important to set some mini-goals as flag posts for your journey. Working towards small achievable milestones allows you to remain focused and motivated by your progression. Without these, the end point may seem too distant and your energy may wean.

The 20 minute goals seemed unattainable so I broke them down into 5 minute efforts. Before I knew it I was 30 minutes into my hour and on track. I had hit my first “big” goal and I was on my way to my end goal.

When you’re right in it, it can be great

The thought of getting on my bike and cycling for an hour was both exciting and daunting. I was aware I had other things to be doing and being switched off for an hour at 10am was a commitment.

Minutes in, the legs were spinning and I was flying. There were no cat gifs or vine compilations to distract me. I used my 5 minute goals to keep my mind on track and I embraced the task’s solitude.

Focusing on one thing rather than juggling was refreshing. I was able to pick the task apart and concentrate on different aspects for controlled amounts of time. It enabled me to cycle more efficiently and appreciate the open velodrome while I did so.

Sometimes we operate at hundred miles an hour. We flick between tasks and projects and never give any one thing complete focus. Social media and social technologies enable us to be these incredible multi-taskers. At Glass, we love Buffer and Slack. I’m sure this is because both platforms allow us to glide seamlessly from one thing to another and back again before we’ve even noticed we’re juggling.

Stay in control

Usually my mind is like a busy playground. So many things going on and vying for my attention. It has made me frustratingly forgetful — thank god for Trello.

But as I circled the velodrome my mind, which had been bubbling with all the items on my to-do list that I had yet to tick off, started to clear. Maybe it was because there was no point in fretting. As I was going to be cycling for another 50 minutes, there was nothing that could be done. Therefore I made the decision to plug all my energy into the unofficial hour.

Using a little time-management to structure your tasks gives you a new realm of control. Working within a time-frame allows you to get a better grip on your work ethic and gives you the ability to set realistic targets moving forward.

I rode 29.98km in the hour. Just 0.02km off my end goal. I’m putting the disparity down to the wind, not my focus.

Clear your mind, go for a ride. 🚴