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Answer Upon - Are Attention Distracters Costing You Time And $$$?
When thinking of creating or upgrading a database, or some other new part of your business system you can cut your IT bill down for that upgrade by doing the following. 1. Think and plan what information and data you want to store. 2. If there are various users in your business think about what they should and shouldn't have access to. 3. Do a rough computer screen layout of where data editing and viewing boxes are needed and what they are. 4. Take your time. By taking time to plan what you want, you will save the expense of Business Analyst / Programmers running around in circles designing and redesigning your data programs. Each time you do a change after a program started, you may find that your bill will go up. This is not because the Analyst or programmer are hitting you for the rent, but rathe
Aahh yes, the Internet. Raise your hand if you get distracted by the Internet. Don’t feel bad, it’s a tough one to avoid. It’s a bit like being a kid in a giant candy store isn’t it? So big and pretty, with so many wonderful things to choose from and play with, so much stimulus and great information – it’s hard to not want to spend your entire day surfing the net! I know, I know, it’s a challenge but you CAN overcome it! I KNOW you can! The Internet is a bit like a giant treasure chest full of wonderful secrets our minds can’t wait to absorb, but again it’s an attention distracter and when it
A recent survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked South Africa as highly cost effective (10th out of 31 countries surveyed).South Africa's exchange rate makes it one of the least expensive countries in which to do business - particularly one with a first-world infrastructure and high living standards. Even though stronger local currency has strengthened against other major currencies in recent years, the rand exchange rate still makes commercial and residential property, quality hotels and restaurants inexpensive by world standards.South Africa's energy costs are also among the lowest in the world. Eskom supplies most of Africa with electricity, and is known for its superior supply quality. The country also compares favourably for petroleum prices, with private sector and multinational oil companies refining and marketing nearly
A common complaint my clients will often share is “Michelle, I know what I need to do but when I sit down to do it; I get distracted by a million different things and I lose my focus.” My clients talk about how they start out with all these great intentions, but the end result always sees them doing something other than what they had originally set out to do. Sound familiar? Are you nodding your head right now screaming “Yes that’s me!! What can I do to develop more focus and effectiveness?” The answer: eliminate your distractions.
What gets in the way of our effectiveness, is what I call ‘Attention Distracters.’ Here are the top 6 Attention Distracters’ I hear often from my clients:
1. Incoming Telephone Calls / 2. Incoming Emails / 3. The Internet / 4. Employees with Questions / 5. Hunger Pains (yes it’s true) / 6. Disempowering States
TIPS TO ELIMINATING YOUR ‘ATTENTION DISTRACTERS’
Incoming Telephone Calls – ‘bling bling!’
The easiest way to eliminate telephone distractions is very simple. When you need to be focused on a particular task or activity, you can one of two things. Either pull the phone out of the wall or turn the ringer down.
Another tip is to allocate a certain chunk of time each day to returning phone calls so you’re not feeling pressured to answer the phone every time it rings. A strategy for managing the expectations of your callers is to simply leave a voice message that says something to the effect of: “Hi, this Joe Blow. I am currently out of the office at present but your call is very important to me so please leave me your details and I will call you back after 5pm or within 24 hours or between the hours of 2-4pm.” You get the idea? Great! Let’s move on.
Incoming Emails
My recommended suggestion here is to implement all of following three strategies:
1. Schedule a chunk of time each day to return and receive emails and then don’t get sucked into the temptation outside of this scheduled time. 2. When focused on a particular activity, DON’T open your inbox. Keep it closed so any incoming emails don’t pop up on your screen and divert your focused attention. 3. Delegate your inbox to an Assistant who will only send you the emails that are top priority and what need your personal attention.
The Internet
Aahh yes, the Internet. Raise your hand if you get distracted by the Internet. Don’t feel bad, it’s a tough one to avoid. It’s a bit like being a kid in a giant candy store isn’t it? So big and pretty, with so many wonderful things to choose from and play with, so much stimulus and great information – it’s hard to not want to spend your entire day surfing the net! I know, I know, it’s a challenge but you CAN overcome it! I KNOW you can! The Internet is a bit like a giant treasure chest full of wonderful secrets our minds can’t wait to absorb, but again it’s an attention distracter and when it
The best combatant against fears of interviewing properly has one simple answer – educating yourself on the proper techniques to answer any cringing questions that may trip you up during an interview. The other fact your mother was right about? Being yourself! Just how much of yourself should you be? Well, once again, educate yourself on the job at stake. Job interview techniques tend to revolve around two things: You, and the job position you are applying for. Simply put, the definition of “technique” is a method of accomplishing a desired aim.A job interview entails just that – how to answer questions effectively. Yes, this is going to be either the first time, or the only time you will be (figuratively speaking) kissing the interviewer’s (who more often than not is your future boss) behind. This is the one chance you may get to prove to that
What gets in the way of our effectiveness, is what I call ‘Attention Distracters.’ Here are the top 6 Attention Distracters’ I hear often from my clients:
1. Incoming Telephone Calls / 2. Incoming Emails / 3. The Internet / 4. Employees with Questions / 5. Hunger Pains (yes it’s true) / 6. Disempowering States
TIPS TO ELIMINATING YOUR ‘ATTENTION DISTRACTERS’
Incoming Telephone Calls – ‘bling bling!’
The easiest way to eliminate telephone distractions is very simple. When you need to be focused on a particular task or activity, you can one of two things. Either pull the phone out of the wall or turn the ringer down.
Another tip is to allocate a certain chunk of time each day to returning phone calls so you’re not feeling pressured to answer the phone every time it rings. A strategy for managing the expectations of your callers is to simply leave a voice message that says something to the effect of: “Hi, this Joe Blow. I am currently out of the office at present but your call is very important to me so please leave me your details and I will call you back after 5pm or within 24 hours or between the hours of 2-4pm.” You get the idea? Great! Let’s move on.
Incoming Emails
My recommended suggestion here is to implement all of following three strategies:
1. Schedule a chunk of time each day to return and receive emails and then don’t get sucked into the temptation outside of this scheduled time. 2. When focused on a particular activity, DON’T open your inbox. Keep it closed so any incoming emails don’t pop up on your screen and divert your focused attention. 3. Delegate your inbox to an Assistant who will only send you the emails that are top priority and what need your personal attention.
The Internet
Aahh yes, the Internet. Raise your hand if you get distracted by the Internet. Don’t feel bad, it’s a tough one to avoid. It’s a bit like being a kid in a giant candy store isn’t it? So big and pretty, with so many wonderful things to choose from and play with, so much stimulus and great information – it’s hard to not want to spend your entire day surfing the net! I know, I know, it’s a challenge but you CAN overcome it! I KNOW you can! The Internet is a bit like a giant treasure chest full of wonderful secrets our minds can’t wait to absorb, but again it’s an attention distracter and when it
Have you participated in a business initiative that your company never completed? Did you watch key business goals suffer as teams missed deadline after deadline?Often such problems arise because neither the employees nor the management team hold themselves truly accountable. When teams don’t execute effectively because of lack of accountability, the company fails to generate results.Accountability for results is the crucial step in producing outstanding performance. Many CEOs have trouble providing this accountability.Establishing AccountabilityThe CEO is responsible for creating accountability in his organization.First, the CEO and his management team must develop and commit to a clear vision and translate that vision into a coordinated strategic plan. Without this foundation everyday pressures will overwhelm th
Another tip is to allocate a certain chunk of time each day to returning phone calls so you’re not feeling pressured to answer the phone every time it rings. A strategy for managing the expectations of your callers is to simply leave a voice message that says something to the effect of: “Hi, this Joe Blow. I am currently out of the office at present but your call is very important to me so please leave me your details and I will call you back after 5pm or within 24 hours or between the hours of 2-4pm.” You get the idea? Great! Let’s move on.
Incoming Emails
My recommended suggestion here is to implement all of following three strategies:
1. Schedule a chunk of time each day to return and receive emails and then don’t get sucked into the temptation outside of this scheduled time. 2. When focused on a particular activity, DON’T open your inbox. Keep it closed so any incoming emails don’t pop up on your screen and divert your focused attention. 3. Delegate your inbox to an Assistant who will only send you the emails that are top priority and what need your personal attention.
The Internet
Aahh yes, the Internet. Raise your hand if you get distracted by the Internet. Don’t feel bad, it’s a tough one to avoid. It’s a bit like being a kid in a giant candy store isn’t it? So big and pretty, with so many wonderful things to choose from and play with, so much stimulus and great information – it’s hard to not want to spend your entire day surfing the net! I know, I know, it’s a challenge but you CAN overcome it! I KNOW you can! The Internet is a bit like a giant treasure chest full of wonderful secrets our minds can’t wait to absorb, but again it’s an attention distracter and when it
That change is a fact of life does little to mitigate people’s usual reactions to it, namely fear, suspicion, and resistance. That’s why it’s critical to have a plan for communicating and managing during transitions, whether they are planned (such as expansions, mergers, acquisitions) or the result of legislative mandates, breakthrough technologies, changing customer needs, and other unplanned events.The most important thing to keep in mind is that people’s perceptions are their realities. If change is perceived as a loss of some kind, individuals will react to it quite differently than if it’s perceived as a positive occurrence ripe with new opportunities. Even a promotion can be “negative” if the individual doesn’t perceive himself as having the skills, resources, and support necessary for success in a new role.Whether you’re m
Incoming Emails
My recommended suggestion here is to implement all of following three strategies:
1. Schedule a chunk of time each day to return and receive emails and then don’t get sucked into the temptation outside of this scheduled time. 2. When focused on a particular activity, DON’T open your inbox. Keep it closed so any incoming emails don’t pop up on your screen and divert your focused attention. 3. Delegate your inbox to an Assistant who will only send you the emails that are top priority and what need your personal attention.
The Internet
Aahh yes, the Internet. Raise your hand if you get distracted by the Internet. Don’t feel bad, it’s a tough one to avoid. It’s a bit like being a kid in a giant candy store isn’t it? So big and pretty, with so many wonderful things to choose from and play with, so much stimulus and great information – it’s hard to not want to spend your entire day surfing the net! I know, I know, it’s a challenge but you CAN overcome it! I KNOW you can! The Internet is a bit like a giant treasure chest full of wonderful secrets our minds can’t wait to absorb, but again it’s an attention distracter and when it
Left alone it doesn't take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Fixing problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into larger problems.The same is true when considering the level of employee satisfaction Dissatisfaction spreads like wildfire and in a surprisingly short period of time you’ve got morale problems of the kind that are notoriously hard to fix.Ensuring your employees are happy is mostly about being tuned into what their problems are and, importantly, dealing with them early on. Keeping the initiative is really important and the secret is that it is better to give a little and often.This turns out be a virtuous circle. Fixing the problem when it’s small is also when it’s easiest and when it’s cheapest. And taking the initiative without
Aahh yes, the Internet. Raise your hand if you get distracted by the Internet. Don’t feel bad, it’s a tough one to avoid. It’s a bit like being a kid in a giant candy store isn’t it? So big and pretty, with so many wonderful things to choose from and play with, so much stimulus and great information – it’s hard to not want to spend your entire day surfing the net! I know, I know, it’s a challenge but you CAN overcome it! I KNOW you can! The Internet is a bit like a giant treasure chest full of wonderful secrets our minds can’t wait to absorb, but again it’s an attention distracter and when it’s not being used to increase your effectiveness, it’s hindering your success.
When it comes to the Internet my suggestion is DON’T OPEN YOUR BROWSER EVER unless it is an absolute necessity for the project you are working on.
Employees with Questions
An effective and well liked Manager is a person who fosters an ‘open door policy’ - someone who makes themselves accessible and available to their team. However, in saying this, that does not mean that your employees run the ship and may interrupt you at any time during the day. Here are some suggestions for reducing distractions from your team.
Have your team consider the problem first and brainstorm a couple of possible solutions before coming to you. Oftentimes if they stop and think through the problem first on their own; they can resolve it for themselves. Set appropriate boundaries for when they can and cannot interrupt you. For example if your door is closed or you are in a meeting, that means you don’t want to be disturbed. Set regular meetings with your team so you can iron out issues and answer questions before they become a problem that you are forced to solve. And learn how to say ‘NO’ with confidence and conviction.
Hunger Pains
Yes it’s true, hunger pains can be a distraction because when you don’t eat properly, your blood sugars drop, your energy depletes and you become agitated and ineffective.
Making the conscious effort to eat regular meals that are healthy and nutritious, and you will greatly enhance your ability to remain focused and concentrate longer. I know that if I don’t eat first thing in the morning I’m like a crazy woman the entire day. I feel scattered and disoriented and my patience becomes that of a 2-year old!
I strongly suggest to my clients that if they are anything like me, in that they are always hungry and not as effective without food, to keep a little bowl of nuts on their desk that they can pick at. Drinking water consistently throughout the day will also reduce hunger pangs and keep your more alert.
Disempowering Emotional States
Are disempowering emotional states driving you to negative habits and behaviors? Frustration and procrastination are what I call ‘Disempowering Emotional States™.’ Disempowering Emotional States are mind/body states that drain our energy, make us feel crappy and shift our focus to the negative. They also drive us away fr
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