1: “Have you ever looked up at the clock after working intensely on a project and been amazed at how quickly the time has flown by?” Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram ask in their book The 5 Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There is Never Enough Time.
“That is 5th gear,” they note.
Also called “in the zone” or “in flow,” 5th gear is your ability to hyperfocus and be highly productive.
This week, we are exploring the five gears described by Jeremie and Steve: 1st gear is time spent fully recharging.
- 2nd gear is when you connect personally and intentionally with family, friends, or colleagues in meaningful one-on-one interactions.
- 3rd gear is focused on socializing and enjoying time with groups in relaxed settings.
- 4th gear is for getting work done while managing multiple tasks or responsibilities at once.
- 5th gear is when you are in deep focus mode, working without interruption or distraction to maximize productivity.
The power of The 5 Gears lies in its ability to create awareness and enable choice.
Rather than moving through your days reacting to situations, understanding which gear the situation requires lets you choose your response rather than simply react.
That’s the skill to master: Knowing what gear the moment calls for and intentionally shifting into it. Most frustration, conflict, and inefficiency occur when we are operating in the wrong gear. Great leaders, spouses, parents, and friends learn to match their gear to the moment.
2: Some people love 5th gear.
“Just the thought of getting in the zone without disruption revs your engines,” Jeremie and Steve write. “You can picture yourself at your favorite workstation, completely focused on your task.”
When you are in 5th gear, everything else falls away. It’s just you and the task at hand.
Other people aren’t even sure what 5th gear feels like.
“Maybe you have experienced it once or twice, this idea of being fully absorbed by and engaged in the task at hand,” they write. But you simply haven’t mastered the ability to focus for long periods of time and stay in the zone.
“If this sounds familiar, take heart: you are not alone,” the authors observe. “Given our propensity to multitask, not to mention the distractions of technology, many of us find it difficult to even find 5th gear, let alone stay in it.”
“So, how can I find this gear?” you ask.
Just as a car engine signals when to shift gears, so does your work.
“It simply takes discipline to shut the door, turn off your email, and let people know that you are shifting into 5th gear—going into overdrive,” Jeremie and Steve write. “When you reach this gear, your productivity reaches the highest levels possible.”
This hyperfocus generates high levels of productivity and terrific results.
“However, people (similar to engines) are not meant to stay in 5th gear all day long,” the authors observe.
Certain jobs bring about this type of flow state, they explain, including highly mechanical, creative, technological, or medical fields: “Engineers working on designs; IT service professionals finishing a project; machine operators; interior designers; surgeons or dental hygienists.”
The rest of us need to plan and schedule 5th gear time.
“For executive leaders,” they note, “5th gear can be seen as the strategy gear, when you are working on the business and thinking in the long-term strategic planning zone. This might include dreaming, vision casting, exploring ideas, or thinking of major changes in life, work, or business.”
3: Is it time to rethink the Open Door Policy?
“If you have been working inside an organization for any length of time then you have most likely heard the phrase ‘Open Door Policy,'” Jeremie and Steve note.
“You might have heard it from a boss who brags that he or she always has an open door policy to connect with their employees.”
This policy comes at a real cost. Being available all the time limits your focus.
“There are times when you need to close the door and other times when you need to leave it open,” they suggest.
Andrew works at the Ford Motor Company. “In the past year, I moved into a new position with a team of 16 amazing people,” he shares. “It was important for me to maintain an open-door policy to allow team members to talk through ideas, discuss issues, or just to catch up.
“The challenge was when I was working on something that required my focus, and I was in ‘the zone,’ getting it done. That is when the open-door policy created challenges: not only did an interruption break my concentration, but it also created an unfair situation for my teammate. Since I was so focused on getting the work done, I had trouble giving them my undivided attention.
“Unintentionally, my open door policy was working against both of us,” Andrew says. “That is when I introduced the 5 Gears to my team. We talked about what each gear meant and how we need to have a balanced approach to our lives, leveraging all 5 gears.
“The team embraced the concept, and we discussed how we could use the gears to introduce a common language through the organization. Now, when I am [in] my ‘zone’ and a teammate drops by, I hold out my hand and say, ‘I’m in 5th gear. Can it wait?’
“There are no hard feelings, and we both know that it’s not personal, just trying to get something done,” he states. “If it is important, then I will stop and walk out of my office to refocus myself to serve their needs. If it can wait, then I will make a note and ensure I swing by once I get through the current project.
“This new language allows us to communicate without any hard feelings when the time is not right to address something that is not critical.
“In addition,” Andrew says, “I found that other members of the team are using the language not only with me but they are beginning to use it with each other. Now, when someone is too busy to talk, there is not water cooler gossip that person X is not being a team player.”
Jeremie and Steve write: “Andrew’s story is a prime example that demonstrates how our 5 Gears metaphor is a practical tool that works brilliantly in real life. This language was born out of the frustration of not being able to communicate with one another, our families, and our team members.”
More tomorrow.
________________________
Reflection: How often do I intentionally create space for deep, uninterrupted focus? What important work would benefit most from dedicated 5th gear time?
Action: Schedule my 5th gear for a month and practice entering and shifting out of it. Track my productivity and how well I shift gears.
What did you think of this post?
