Get out of my head, I’m trying to concentrate
The Times of UK just posted an article that talks about how we can’t work properly amid a barrage of emails, texts and tweets.
We need to clear our minds and focus on what matters, but it’s a tough job when we are bombarded with 34 gigabytes of information a day. That’s about 8 to 9 full length movies.
Being a business owner doesn’t help there are so many tasks, decisions, distractions, priorities, procedues, and interactions that we must mentally manage. It feels like balancing a bunch of spinning plates.
Here are some of the habits that I do to help manage my mental:
Exercise
I try to hit the gym before work. In the book Brain Rules, John Medina talks about how our brains developed while our bodies were in a constant state of movement. Our ancestors used to hike an average of 12 miles a day.
Take breaks
The brain becomes retroactive after 20 minutes of focus. Take a break by getting up and walking around. Not by watching TV or browsing the Internet.
Give attention to people
Q: What’s more important than your laptop? A: The people you work with. We are inturrpted by co-workers quite often. It’s easy to passively interact with them continuing to work on the computer. Instead ask for a moment, get to a good place with what you were doing, then turn and talk to your co-worker.
More pencil and paper
Computer programs can help you with more than it really can. The truth is that the best way to be creative is with a paper and pencil. Those two simple tools are not bound by the rules of a program. Is I don’t use a computer to take notes, outline presentations, or brainstorm mindmapping.
Talk through things
Again bringing focus to people over computers: I’ll start an email, stop halfway, then either pick up the phone or walk over to someones desk to simply talk to them. I reserve emails for precursor conversations, simple questions and answers, scheduling time, and sharing files.
Check out the original article: Have we forgotten how to concentrate?
Thanks you Steve Rubel for the link.
If you have more tips for us/me that you use in your work/mental balance post a comment.