Ask Yourself: Have I Made Progress?

Last week I talked about two paradoxical secrets to better work: Focus and Distraction. This weekend The Wall Street Journal ran an article about New York architect Thomas Juul-Hansen that highlighted his unique way of staying focused. This system wouldn't work for me, but it might work for you. What's most compelling is the question he asks: Have I made progress?

The best advice I've ever received was from a teacher at Harvard who taught me to multitask, to always have two or three things so you're continually rotating. Every 15 minutes, you ask yourself, "Have I made progress?" If not, rotate and come back to it later. This allows me to be very efficient.