Guest post: Tips for more focus instead of chaos in the head

A wise person once told me that change doesn't succeed when you try to change too many things at once. And my own life has taught me that it's helpful to focus your pursuit of change on just one thing, that is, to have a clear, tangible goal in mind. When I read in the Harvard Business Review that we need to 46.9 percent of our working time spend letting our minds wander from the task at hand, I was shocked! Another article on the topic revealed that the average knowledge worker is 50 - 60 times a day is interrupted during his work - is torn out of his focus. It quickly becomes obvious: Our ability to concentrate is in crisis!

More focus - No to (unnecessary) meetings!

Productive meetings can help you move faster and focus on what's important. My personal mantra is to only attend meetings that make sense. To achieve that, I question every meeting - whether in person, by phone or video conference - that is put on my calendar. I ask myself if I really need to be there. I force myself and ask the other participants to clearly communicate the purpose, agenda and possible outcomes in advance. If my presence is not essential, I don't go to that meeting. If my input is still needed, I offer my perspective on the content and my feedback via collaboration tools that allow me to work on a specific project exactly when I have decided to put my focus on it.

To speed up decision-making in meetings, skillfully rubber-stamp your proposals by asking the right questions, soliciting feedback on who disagrees with your proposal rather than asking everyone for their specific agreement. The psychology behind this is simple: critics are forced to step out of their comfort zone and give a valid reason for their disagreement.

At the end of each meeting, everyone should have a clear idea of activities, priorities, and roles. Ask the question, "Who will do what by when?". This helps drive decisions and increase focus. But, of course, you also need a transparent system that lists your team's tasks and allows you to track their status.

You can also measure how wisely your time is being spent through the simple ROTI (Return On Time Invested) feedback method taken from the Agile Coaching environment. This approach provides a quick and easy way to evaluate meetings. Have each participant grade the meeting from 1 to 5 - 1 means very helpful, while 5 means a total waste of time. Through simple math, you will quickly find out if your meetings have enough value.

Last but not least, try to change the flow, change the background, use a different format. How about a walking meeting with headphones instead of having every conversation at your desk. Move around to recharge your batteries and release new ideas. Even the Science has recently spoken out in favor of mobile meetings - there is strong evidence that the combination of walking and fresh air significantly increases their ability to think and focus.

Overcome procrastination and prioritize challenges

Getting things done creates more space in your mind and positively impacts your focus. We all know how hard it can be to stick to key priorities, especially when work piles up. Even when we know exactly what we should be doing next, we avoid it and turn to the easiest or most enjoyable job that's waiting for us otherwise. Unsurprisingly, students often report that their digs have never been neater or cleaner than during exam time. But avoiding important tasks and distracting ourselves with others drains us of valuable energy and focus.

To combat this, I try to overcome procrastination whenever it tries to distract me from focused and meaningful work. Over time, I've realized that it's all a matter of habit and that only I have sovereignty over my actions. It's like taking a cold shower in the morning or finally slipping back into your running shoes. Challenge yourself! Put excuses aside and do the most important thing that scares you the most, in the morning, as the very first action of the day. The positive energy released will help you move through the rest of the day with ease.

Free up time - the rest will come by itself!

Having time and the right frame of mind is essential to think strategically and solve problems pragmatically. I always weigh urgent and important, balancing the two. If you spend too much of your time on urgent issues, then your priorities are misplaced. Take more time for self-reflection and for creative thinking - block out a few hours in your schedule, three times a week.

Ask yourself, "Is there anyone else who could - or should - do this?" To all those of us who are perfectionists and think we have to do everything ourselves: Learn to delegate tasks! Especially in leadership roles, but also as an individual on a team. It's absolutely okay to ask for someone's help, and once you learn to entrust jobs to others, it will help you find enough time and focus to get the things done that are the highest priority.

Technology should be there for you - not the other way around!

It's all about enabling yourself and the team to work with maximum focus. Sometimes it feels like our lives are consumed by a 24-hour workday. We are always available and work knows no downtime. Our concentration is punctured by constant messages, dozens of open windows, and the constant juggling between tools. But you need to realize this: you can't be on task 24/7, and you can only focus for a limited amount of time each day. So what can you do?

Using the appropriate technologies - ones that work best for me - helps me do my job more effectively. I advise everyone to take the time to ask: "What tools are easiest to use and promote seamless communication between teams?" Our tools for work should be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

I believe that Artificial Intelligence and machine learning will increasingly help us to sort of plow through the digital distraction and surface the work that matters most. I believe in a more enlightened, smarter way of working, where machines and people are brought together in a smart workplace in a way that "work about work" will soon be a thing of the past and that we will regain the ability to focus!

Author:

Andrea Trapp is Head of Business for Northern and Central Europe (DACH, UK and Ireland as well as the Nordics and the Baltic States) at Dropbox and leads her teams from Munich. The economics graduate and change management expert has spent 17 years - at times abroad - in pan-European management or board positions at international tech and PropTech companies. Until February 2019, she was Area Vice President Sales Europe at U.S. software and hardware manufacturer Oracle, where she began her career back in the 1990s in Dublin. In the meantime, from 2014 to 2016, she headed SaaS provider Textura Europe GmbH as Managing Director and was Area Director Europe at solution provider for the construction and real estate industry conject AG from 2012 to 2014. Her focus has always been on construction and manufacturing and on optimizing transformation processes. She sees herself as a coach and mentor for her teams. In her private life, Andrea enjoys jogging and hiking, loves to cook and is passionate about traveling the world. More about Andrea Trapp on her LinkedIn profile.