Conquering Distraction & Getting Productive

We have a crisis of distraction going on these days!  In the confidential conversation of coaching, clients frequently confess this overwhelming feeling of “ADD”:  “I used to feel effective”, “I don’t know what’s wrong”, “Why can’t I get anything done!”, “I work so hard, but feel so unproductive and overwhelmed”.  I hear this all the time (and I feel it too).  Today’s technology is driving us crazy!  Here are the three main reasons:

1. The volume and speed of the digital world has warped our senses
2. We have become slaves to technology
3. We forgot that our talents and gifts lie in being human (not digital)

All of us get a huge volume of “hits” daily from email, texting, websites, twitter, more paper, land-lines, cell-phones, 24/7 news – all day long!  Since all this stuff comes at us instantaneously, easily and cheaply it has changed our perspective of time, focus and effort.   We feel compelled to respond equally as quickly and be always available.  We expect to be just like the digital world:  Always on, always processing quickly, always delivering immediately!  We don’t remember that real work, in the real world, takes real time and real focus.  People go from meeting, to phone-call, to email, to text and reams of incoming paper all day long.  We don’t have time to process and deliver because we’re constantly flooded with new requests, new information, new demands, more incoming work. ARGGGGGgggggghhhhh!

Time to get a grip!

Tip of the Day

Here are 5 principles for taking control:

1. Reset expectations for yourself & others – Do not respond to everything immediately!
2. Create a space for focused work (a conference room, a separate table, closed door, email & phone “muted” etc…)
3. Train support staff to filter the incoming
4. Commit to “quiet” time devoted to focused work
5. Simplify as much as possible.  More is not better.  Delegate or delete as much as possible.  (Be sure not to sabotage success for you or others with too much dumping)

Below 5 keys for leaders and teams:

1. Decide core goals
2. Focus only things required to reach critical goals
3. Decide team guidelines on how to handle “the incoming”
4. “Train” clients and colleagues for reasonable response times
5. Simplify the work for the entire team.  (Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should)

There’s much more but the point of a blog is to be brief.  Feel free to reach out to me, if you’d like to explore more.  Mostly, be assured that you are not alone and you can gain better control!

Story of the Day – Seizing Control and Liking it!

I’ve been working with a client on the above ideas.  Recently he shared wonderful success. Here’s how it went for him, you can probably relate.  “Barbara, I finally took the leap!  I went into my office, closed my door and put my phone on do not disturb mode.  Wow!  I can’t tell you how much work I got done. I was so jazzed up by being productive and I got a ton done.  It was great!”  Now this client is routinely guarding his focused work time.  He is so much happier and much more productive.

Resource of the Day – The Truth Will Set You Free

My client’s world did not end by working as a human.  In fact, he is far more productive AND far more satisfied.  We are not built to act like the digital world, which responds to commands instantaneously.  The key phrase being “responding instantaneously” another way of saying “completely and always in reactive mode”.  In fact, the digital world (internet, email, texting, computers etc…) is the definition of “reactive”.   It ONLY reacts to commands.  It does not think, initiate, create or produce proactively.  That’s what humans are meant to do.  Let’s get back to being human!