As I mentioned in another post, I believe in positive leadership, playing the long game, taking the time to build your team’s capabilities and relationships with your stakeholders. [Can you hear the beautiful choir singing in the background?]
However, there are times when [something] hits the fan and you just need to buckle down and get stuff done. Or when you’ve put a task off to the point of urgency (yikes). Or when unexpected things take over no matter how much planning you’ve done.
As a chatty person that sometimes gets side-tracked (squirrel!), I’ve had to develop a few techniques to be able to focus when things need to get done quickly. I’m sharing some of them below, in case you are like me and need all the help you can get…or even if you are a person who can focus easily and is interested in how the rest of us cope.
Clear your diary.
The first thing you need to do is quickly clear your schedule to make time for the work. Cancel or reschedule any unrelated meetings, defer any tasks that are not as urgent and let people know about the change. In addition to giving you time, this also reduces your stress as you are not worried about disappointing others. You’ve explained the situation and managed their expectations and now it’s time to get back to the task at hand.
Clear any other mental clutter.
You may have a very long to-do list with this urgent stuff on top of it now. Don’t let your awareness of the other tasks paralyse you. Take a deep breath and mentally park ‘the rest’ for now. Or write it down, then put the list in a drawer and tackle it once the storm has passed.
Reduce digital distractions.
Turn off email notifications or close your email program altogether. Resist checking and getting side-tracked with new email until the task is done. Close any irrelevant documents or web browser tabs that will distract you or otherwise slow you down.
Limit human interaction.
If you have an office, close the door. Book and hide in a meeting room. Work from home. Get some of the work done when others aren’t around (before or after regular hours, during the lunch hour, on the weekend). If the work will take several days, check in with your team at the start of the day to clear their queries so that you’re not holding them up.
Use headphones.
Putting on my headphones (earbuds, really) sends a signal to my brain that it’s time to get to work. Listening to classical music also helps me focus but I know people who prefer total silence. If you’re in the second group, you may need to hide in an office, meeting room or at home instead.
Have snacks.
I should say that you need to have some healthy snacks on hand like fruit, nuts and yoghurt. But who are we kidding? When the storm hits, keep yourself motivated with chocolate, corn chips and ice cream. Or maybe that’s just me…
Any thoughts?
What do you find most helpful when you need to focus? Do you use any of the ones I’ve listed above? Contact me and share your thoughts.
Thanks for your time.