Split Focus

Morning Leaders,

Do you ever find yourself working on something important and/or challenging, then a new email comes in, or a WhatsApp pings or your phone goes off, and you’re attention has jumped straight into that distraction. All your focus and momentum on that original important task is now somewhere else, and you have lost the time and effort which got you there. On average Harvard says you lose 20 minutes following an interruption.

Being really productive involves doing one thing at a time. Trying to spin too many plates and going off in 5 different directions doesn’t usually help you achieve a lot or anything of quality.

Identifying your top 3 priorities or goals for the week, month, quarter or year ahead will give you the focus and direction you need. If you have too many priorities you have none. With too many priorities you split your focus, and you’re not focusing on what’s important. You’re far better taking 10 steps in one direction, than one step in 10 directions.

How can I avoid Split Focus?

1) Plan your day - fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Leaders, mostly, don’t turn up and wing it. All effective leaders plan ahead. So plan your next day the night before. Have your top 3 important priorities lined up along with the next steps. So when you come online in the morning you know exactly what you’re getting into and won’t be distracted.

2) Important vs Urgent - all great leaders focus on important work. Doing more important work reduces the urgent work. Important work is preventative, planning, proactive, or strategic in nature and is work that is going to make a meaningful difference to your environment, people and customers. Too much urgent fire fighting work leads to burnout and an unhealthy environment. Important work should be your top priority.

3) One Thing At a Time - be in the moment more. By doing one thing at a time you’re able to commit your whole self and give that important task the care and attention that it deserves, your output will also be of higher quality and is less likely to need a repeat attempt. Multi-tasking is not a thing when you’re focusing on important work.

4) Start early - I am at my most productive when I start early before the rest of the world comes online. This time is quieter with very little noise or distractions. Quieter time helps me to get more done. We’re generally at our most creative, focused, and energised in the first few hours of the day.

5) Action - action precedes motivation, not the other way round. When you don’t know where to begin or you hit a blocker you begin to procrastinate and this is where you lose valuable time and focus. Go back to your top 3 priorities of the day and take massive action towards getting them closed off.

6) Say No - learn to say no if something or someone is not serving you, whether it’s a request or an ask, sometimes you have to say no. You cannot be everywhere and if this disturbance or distraction is not going to help you get to where you need to go, then you’re better of saying no as it’s consuming your focus.

7) Recovery - taking breaks or holidays is significantly underrated. Recovery of the mind is just as important as the recovery of the body is in a physical sport. If you’re mentally exhausted or are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, how do you expect your mind to think clearly and focus on the work at hand? You have to reset, so you can come back stronger. If you have no energy or creativity it will be evident in your presence and output.

Everyone has 24 hours a day and everyone can choose how to use those hours. If you can avoid the distractions and focus more of your time and energy on the priorities and important work, you will not only become profoundly more effective at what you do, but you’ll also free up more time so you can focus on what matters to you.

All the best

David

Resources Of The Week

• Productivity Tool - try Focus Keeper/Pomodoro Timer to keep you on track and to manage your time better. This is a simple app available on iPhone and Android or you can Google “count down timer”. You are essentially committing 100% focus to getting a single task done in 25 mins. It works because you are working with time rather than against it.

• Mindful App - leadership can be stressful and it’s difficult to switch off in the evenings as our emotions run away. Meditation has historically had a bit of a stigma attached to it, but it is becoming more and more mainstream. The benefits are overwhelming including reducing anxiety and better focus and self-esteem. Years ago running/jogging was not very mainstream, now look at it. I favor the Calm App as Tamara Levitt is a calming influence on me. Try something new today!

• Book - Leadership: Plain and Simple by Steve Radcliffe. An instantly-applicable guide to developing leadership skills which contains practical insights, straightforward actions and plain guidelines to accelerate your growth as a leader. The framework is derived from expert coach Steve’s work with real leaders in real leadership situations.

Quote of the Week

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