Tired of trying to manage your time? How about creating time instead? The Go Zone is an interesting “time creation program” that creates habits incorporating a number of productivity techniques, to help you accomplish your work, while carving out extra time for yourself, your family and your personal success. In this summary of Get in the Go Zone, we’ll give a key synopsis of the powerful productivity tips and ideas in the book. Do check out our full book summary bundle or grab a copy of the book for details!
When properly executed, the Go Zone program helps us to:
• Develop positive habits to get important things done in less time
• Control when to focus and when to cruise, hence control and manage our stress levels.
• Develop a habit of enjoying “me time” with no guilt
• Learn to have fun in all 3 zones
Get in the Go Zone: The 3 Zones
Here’s a quick overview of the 3 zones:
Let’s take a brief look at each of the 3 zones. For each zone, McKeon outlines 10 features or tips in the book, which we’ve summarized into 4 key categories in our full 8-page summary.
THE GO ZONE
The Go Zone is about functioning in our personal “Ideal Performance State”. It involves “repeatable, two-hour periods of high intensity focus on some or all days of the week”. It develops our skills in doing key things that matter, and frees us from the stress of an endless task list. It’s liberating because we will be handling just one thing to do at a time, rather than stressing ourselves over 100 things to do. Once that task is completed, you’ll then be faced with a new task, but still only one task”.
In the book and our complete summary, we elaborate on several productivity tips including how to :
1. Create a ritual & form a non-negotiable habit (including using time blocking, breathing and tokens to transition in and out of the zone);
2. Prioritized Do and Don’t Lists;
3. Set a time goal, not task goal (doing one thing at a time); and
4. No distractions and no excuses
THE SLOW ZONE
This is our default zone, and also our comfort zone, where we are less stressed but also less effective. Most people are in this zone every waking hour, and never even reach the Go Zone or No Zone. The No Zone:
1. Is when you perform at medium levels with less stress;
2. Spans across lengthy periods, often ≥100 hours per week;
3. Acts as a transitional zone between Go Zone and No Zone; and
4. Is when you should avoid key decisions or key actions.
Check out more tips in the book / our full book summary on how best to use your slow zone.
THE NO ZONE
Stress isn’t really the key factor that we face daily. The lack of recovery is the real problem. This is where the No Zone comes in – to provide regular, scheduled periods of total recovery, to reward ourselves and recharge for our next Go Zone.
Like the Go Zone, it requires absolute focus, but in the opposite extreme of staying totally away from work. Here are some of the key features of the No Zone (elaborated upon in our book summary and the book):
1. No work and no thinking about work;
2. Total recovery for next Go Zone;
3. Proper selfish use of time; and
4. One No Zone hour for each Go Zone hour
Gearing up for the Go Zone
THE IDEAL PERFORMANCE STATE (IPS)
Operating at your peak during the Go Zone doesn’t happen by chance. You need to prepare yourself physically and mentally in order to reach your IPS for the Go Zone. Here’s a quick overview of the tips in the book:
BEING IN CONTROL
CThe key idea is to be totally deliberate and never to blur the lines in between the zones, so you are in total control of choosing which Zone you are operating in. So, what happens when you urgent things crop up in the middle of the day? Mckeon suggests 3 simple steps:
a) Ask yourself: “Do I need to take action now?”
b) If the answer is “yes”, then, take a deep long breath.
c) Say “I’m going in (to the Go Zone)” and then move in.
In the book, Mckeon also dives into several useful concepts including:
• Dial up to the Go Zone. Transiting to a full Go Zone system won’t happen overnight, and Mckeon suggests how we can ramp it up.
• Dial up to your IPS. Unsure of your current ability to operate at peak conditions for your Go Zones? Mckeon dedicates 2 whole chapters to help us assess our current IPS levels, and a series of workout suggestions for rebuilding your IPS capability.
• Know your hot spots. Mckeon discusses our 4 intrinsic needs of love, belonging, power and freedom, and reminds us to get clear about which needs matter most to us, so we can get ourselves in the right environment, set up our life correctly, and use the Go Zone system to super-charge it.
So, are you ready to stop managing time and start creating time? Grab your copy of the book or our Get in the Go Zone summary bundle, get started now, or visit https://www.markmckeon.com/ for more details and resources!
Click here to download Get in the Go Zone book summary and infographic
