Why should you not check email first thing in the morning?
Why is it a good idea to shut down your computer for the weekend?
Why ignore the phone, except when it’s best for you?
To preserve your state of mind.
I was in Washington D.C. this weekend, spending time with friends from California and doing the tourist thing. At the Natural History Museum, can you believe I saw over a dozen guys chatting away about work on their bluetooth headsets while herding their kids through the exhibits?
We also took a bus tour of the city, and the guy sitting in front of me missed at least half of it because he was on the phone. His girlfriend looked disgusted.
When you split your focus like this, you aren’t present anywhere. And that kicks the quality of your contribution to the curb.
You know how frustrating it can be to be disturbed when you’re really trying to focus on a project; distractions throw off your ability to concentrate and focus, slow you down, and make it extremely difficult to create quality work.
Do you think interruptions don’t have the same effect when you’re not focusing intently, i.e. for most of your day? Of course they do — in fact, the effect is probably heightened. Because you don’t have the internal motivation to course-correct so quickly, it probably takes you even longer to get back on track.
So here’s what I’m asking of you: Be vigilant about your state of mind today. Place the sanctity of your own mental coherence above habitual patterns of distraction.
- Turn off the phone/email/blackberry/bluetooth/RSS reader/etc.
- If music is conducive to your state of mind, use it. If not, turn it off. (I listen to classical, instrumental, or environmental sound to provide a backdrop; no lyrics, nothing wild.)
- Lock the door, if you have to.
If you want to do your best work, you have to preserve your state of mind above all else.
Image by tiseb at Flickr, by Creative Commons license.
And thanks to all those who commented on the two previous posts so far: Joanna Young, Jean Browman, Brian Clark, Jan, Judy Murdoch, Stuart Baker, Rosa Say, Char Brooks, Phil Gerbyshak
August 6, 2007, 3:57 pm
Thanks for the mention at the bottom thanking me for commenting previously. A great way to remind people to come back for more
Sadly I think this article not only highlights what most people can see what would be the right thing to do, but also that it is not likely to happen.
I am sure a lot of people already do as you suggest and being reminded about it certainly cannot hurt. The society today is however built on principles that may be invented and endorsed by us humans, but in some ways aren’t very human.
We cannot help multitasking to some degree, but trying to make it the center of how we work just doesn’t make sense to me. I like combining two things like listening to music and writing, but find that adding more to the mix doesn’t really add anything, but rather subtracts.
PS: Still eagerly awaiting your submission to the Carnival of Circular Communication. Having gotten more of a relationship with your site am I even more excited about it than before. Take your time though. Excellence is more important than speed ;-)
August 6, 2007, 8:25 pm
I learned a lot about focusing when I had a child at 44 after a lifetime at work. Suddenly I was forced to focus on the task at hand, like feeding or burping and nothing else. I hope I’m able to continue the focusing part, leaving work behind to enjoy family when it’s time, and then focusing 100% on work when it’s time for that. nice post.
August 6, 2007, 9:19 pm
I was pleased to read a while back that studies are showing multitasking, in general, is less effective that focusing on one thing at a time. I much prefer to immerse myself in something and ignore distractions. When I do seem to be unfocused it’s usually because I’m working on something in the back of my mind. Then I putter around getting chores done while my thoughts are percolating.
August 7, 2007, 11:09 am
Seven months into starting my own business, I can honestly say that I have learned more about myself and my being present habits, or lack thereof, than I did during my regular 65-70 hr work weeks for large corporations across decades. Yikes. It is most sobering to reflect back on all of the opportunities lost because I was scrambling to accomplish 8 things at once. Today I am more aware of low quality time, foggy focus and distractions that derail me from what I have set out to accomplish in a day. Happily, I have discovered that the “investment” made to be present has an incredibly high return. That said, it’s time for me to get to my writing. :)
August 7, 2007, 9:11 pm
Went into the Day Spa last weekend to have one of those pedicure’s in one of the queen bee chairs where your whole body is massaged during the process… heavenly, right?
Shortly after I sat down and began relaxing, my
neighbor got on her cell to her daughter. Wow… she had the Power questions And the answers and then started in on her next issue. After 15 minutes, I couldn’t resist and catching her attention said, “Excuse me, You are not alone here.” She quickly got off the phone & became pleasant and present.
August 8, 2007, 9:06 am
Jan, you’re welcome for the mention. It’s a bit of extra work with each post, but I like doing it. After all, comments are a part of the conversation, just like my posts, and even though I use the “do-follow” plugin already, every bit helps, right?
And it’s true, there can be a big gulf between knowledge and practice — but that’s what reminders are for, right?
Michelle, you said it! Kids sure do speed up our growth in so many ways. I wish/hope more people recognize the contribution our kids make on our personal (and business) development, in so many ways!
Jean, so true. Tim Ferriss loves quoting the “stoners have better IQ test scores than multi-taskers” studies, I know… it sure makes you think.
Sue M., it’s so true, isn’t it? When we are the ones responsible for our productivity, we become so much more aware of our comings and goings, don’t we? I’ve talked with lots of people who have become entrepreneurs after working in corporate trenches, and they talk about how they’ve wandered aimlessly for a while before finding their footing.
Sue S., isn’t it wild? Distraction has become such the norm, it’s almost transparent (to the one distracted, at least!).
August 9, 2007, 2:18 am
Nice post. The quality of our work is indeed affected by our focus. We always have a choice in paying more attention to the situation.
Thanks for sharing this. It’s really helpful.
August 9, 2007, 12:22 pm
Adam!
My family and I had a great time hanging out with you in D.C. this weekend! Great fun! The blog is wonderful! Great advice!
August 9, 2007, 8:57 pm
True. We certainly can’t focus on two different situations at the same time. Our minds have to be focused on a certain situation in order to concentrate.
August 10, 2007, 2:05 pm
That reminds me of the guy that leaves the movie theater to answer a phone call. Just say what you have to say and get off. enjoy the moment. this could be the happiest moments but you won’t even remember them. Todd
August 10, 2007, 3:00 pm
Wally, you’re welcome; and your point about the choice — the one that’s in our hands — is too oft-overlooked. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Brian, absolutely! It was great to see you again. And thanks… jump in any time!
Pat, too true… although we sure do try, huh? ;-)
Todd, again, so true. It blows me away how many of life’s moments get missed because we aren’t focused on the now.
August 24, 2007, 6:32 pm
Another incredible article, Adam. I’m reading Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern and it is very much along the same lines as you in terms of mono-tasking.
September 4, 2007, 6:53 pm
The extra effort it takes to focus my attention on the task at hand is fully worth the time saved by not trying to multitask. More often then not, I save more time by doing one thing at a time. I just have to constantly remind myself of that fact.
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Monk at Work is Adam Kayce's website about webdesign, personal peace, and bringing your best work out to the world.
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