What kind of time do you need?

Have you ever ached for uninterrupted window of time to be able to complete an article or a business plan for example? How about asking your management for 10% free time to work on some innovative idea? Did you notice how it may be easier to get hold of some people at certain times of the day?

A few months ago I came across a neat way to describe the differences in how we spend our days at work.

Depending on situation we tend to allocate our available time in one of the following two modes. We either work in short bursts, frequently switching context, issuing orders or instructions, offering guidance or advice, taking in information flowing from multiple sources, and in general participating in multiple communication threads over short periods of times. Or, we take substantial periods of time to work on something without interruption.

Paul Graham in his 2009 blog refers to these two time allocation schemes as Managers' and Makers' Schedule.

For example, if you want to get some undivided attention from a scientist, try to schedule some time with him or her around lunch, just before or right after that. In their pursuit away from all the meetings, conference calls and other interruptions, they often like to get in early or stay late in the day. Around lunch time however, people working on tasks requiring undivided attention are more likely to be accessible without feeling interrupted.

Coming to terms with this concept is equally as important for harnessing our own single most precious resource - time, as it is for appreciating what this means for others around us and becoming more effective in engaging them.