In my last post we discovered The Twenty Minute Rule, which tells us our brains run out of fuel (glucose) after twenty solid minutes of hard thinking. We’ve all suspected that sermons, seminars, presentations run too long, but we didn’t have science to back us up. Now we do.
Perhaps the TED folks do too, with their famous 18-minute talks. Last year I was invited to do a TED talk (see it here), and discovered just how rigid they are on this length. In the months leading up to my presentation, I was told to get it done in eighteen minutes or else. It must be a world-changing idea. You can’t use notes. And it must be done right at the eighteen minute mark.
No pressure.
By the way, I finished in 18:17, and hit all my points. Not too shabby. But I will say, I’ve never prepared more for a talk than that one.
So, how can we use this Twenty Minute Rule to maximize our productivity? Simple. Work in shorter bursts, more frequently.
Early-twentieth-century educator, musician and novelist John Erskine did this well, and became famous for his energetic and prolific work, including a Ph.D. from Columbia University, a career as a pianist for the New York Philharmonic, President of the Juliard School of Music, and author of more than forty-five books.
Erskine’s philosophy of work started with an early piano lesson in childhood. “How many times a week do you practice, and how long do you practice each time?” the teacher asked.
“I usually to practice once a day, generally for an hour or more,” John replied.
“Don’t do that,” the teacher warned. “When you grow up, time won’t come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them.”
Tackling his work in small steps from that point forward, Erskine spent a lifetime stepping, without any burnout. He filled his schedule with short bursts of productive labor. For example, he wrote the bulk of his novel The Private Life of Helen of Troy while commuting between his home and the university.
The key to a productive life is to do the heavy lifting in short bursts, many times a day.
