The Goldfish Syndrom

Before you keep on reading, when was the last time you had 2 hours of focused work, without being disturbed by a coworker that tells you about the last skiing weekend or by a question that could easily be answered by googling it? When was the last time, you had those 2 hours without looking at your phone or having the need to get a snack? And how can we get rid of the multi-tasking fallacy? This idea that we can multiple things at the same time.

6 practices to stay focussed longer

Over the years I developed a practice that helps me to be locked in, focussed a bit longer. It’s something that requires multiple iterations and tries. The principles below are not scientific, they are just mine and might be useful to you.

1. Setting a clear deliverable - before going into a focus session, I set myself an objective. Not a fluffy one but a deliverable. If I want to design a framework for talent management, I’ll have a one-pager summary drawn/written after 2 hours.

2. Setup the space - there are places that allow me to better focus. When I say space it is not limited to the physical space only. It’s the lighting, the noise, music. In or out of the office, do I have my drinks ready, etc.

3. Communicate - I let people around me know that I will not be available and be crystal clear around that.

4. Shut down communication channels. Ideally go offline. Phone on airplane mode, switch off notifications.

5. Mental preparation - a couple of minutes before going into the session, I do take time to focus on what is about to come. As I do before an important meeting, a basketball game or  a card magic practice.

6. Pre and post sessionbuffer - last but not least, I put in a buffer before and after the session. Before to ensure I don’t start late, after to get relax and get ready for what’s next.

Does it always work? Hell no!

Do I always manage to execute perfectly? Of course not. Towards the end of each session, I do take a couple of minutes to review what worked well and what I was challenged with. Ultimately practice makes perfect.

The new kid on the block - Mental Contrasting

This one is rather new and so I don’t have yet much learning to share. But I thought I share it anyway. Mental Contrasting (Emotional Agility, Susan David) is about setting a positive vision (goal) and offset it with potential challenges on the road - it’s about adding a reality check to the goal setting. In her book, she cites studies in which people who applied this technique had better results.

This might be worth a try

I often hear people telling me that they can’t do it, that there is too much work and urgency. My answer is simple - start somewhere and small. Maybe reduce the time - say 1 hour instead of 2. Something is better than nothing. Here is a suggestion

• Take your agenda and look for a slot in your agenda and block the time.

• Prepare yourself and from the 6 points above, try identifying the 1 or 2 that might be most challenging to implement (Mental contrasting)

• Do it.

• Review and learn - no matter how it went, acknowledge it, value what worked well, identify the one thing that if improved will most impact your next session.

• Plan the next one!

• Don’t give up.