Get Rid of Distractions

Whether we work in an office or at home, or are currently looking for work, there are many distractions vying to keep us from what we need to get done. Here are some recommendations I’ve made to my clients to circumvent some of these distractions:

• Give Yourself "Office Hours"- if you're a job seeker, set your working (i.e. seeking) hours and don't stray from them. The neighborhood gossip will have to wait. If you currently have a job, set time aside for project work and refrain from answering the phone or emails. If you need to, let people know the span of time you will be unavailable, and let them know why (hint- the best "why's" include what's in it for them, e.g. "so that I can be available to you, undistracted by pressing projects, I have set the morning as project time. That way, I'm completely available all afternoon")

• Batch Your Tasks- if you answer an email each time it comes in, no projects will get done. Plan a portion of time each day for emails, a portion for phone calls, and a portion for project work. This will streamline your efforts in all areas, making it easier to move through each "batch" and move on to the next one

• The Beauty of Boundaries- one of the biggest draws on employees' time (I can't tell you how many clients have complained of this) is other employees coming by their office or desk and distracting them. This may be social distractions or work distractions. Either way, it slows completion of tasks and projects. Be sure to let people know about your "office hours." And emphasize how important their issue is, so you want to be sure to address it when you are able to focus on it

• Make Your Life Meeting-Less- one of the other tremendous draws on employees' time (another complaint I've heard time and time again) is meaningless meetings. "Why am I here?" is a common question. Talk to your manager and state that you’re committed to completing the tasks entrusted to you and being available to support him or her in projects that come up. Then point out that of all of the ways you can be most useful to him or her, the X meeting doesn’t make the list, and actually gets in the way of accomplishing tasks. Request that, in order to dedicate your time to tasks which are going to advance the department's efforts and his or hers in particular, you be excused from that meeting

Distractions are a given. Falling prey to them isn’t. Identify the main distractions you face, decide to circumvent them, and choose an action that’s going to free you from them and build goodwill at the same time.

Strategy First, Tactics Second (aka—Wake Up!)

When I was in college, I attended a soccer game and, as the crowd roared, watched a player use all of his tactical skills—his dexterity with the ball, his speed, his ability to shift his balance and his course—to get the ball down the field and put it through the goalposts. The only problem was, they were the wrong goalposts. In the heat of the moment he somehow got turned around, became disoriented, and scored a goal for the opposing team.

Now, his tactics were all on the money—his maneuvering of the ball was masterful, he knew exactly when and where to shift his course. It was his strategy that was off—he was aiming in the wrong direction.

I’ve thought about this event many times in the intervening years, as it speaks to something larger, beyond the soccer field: this is something we often do with our lives. All to often, we focus on our tactics and lose sight of our strategy. And we wind up missing the mark.

Ask Yourself These Questions (all different ways of getting at the same issue):

• Am I concentrating on expert maneuvering instead of maneuvering in the right direction? 
  
• Am I getting caught up in doing things right, rather than doing the right things?
  
• Am I spending all of my time on the small stuff, and missing the big stuff?
  
• Am I focusing on efficiency (getting the small stuff right) or effectiveness (getting the big stuff right)?
  
• Am I missing the forest for the trees?
  

Some Examples of Thinking Tactically Rather Than Strategically:

• Working hard to plan a great meeting agenda—without really considering if the meeting is the right one to have at this time
  
• Getting the seasoning just right on the marinated beef you’re serving—forgetting that your guests are vegetarian
  
• Creating a new organizational system for your files on a particular topic—when you have a career make-or-break presentation on that topic the next day (that you haven’t prepared for)
  

Whether it’s lack of focus, procrastination, or fear (it’s typically one or a combination of the three), concentrating on tactics rather than strategy can cost you. Great meeting agendas, delicious seasoning, and organized files are all good things. So is scoring a goal. And yet if you don’t look at the big picture, you may wind up with frustrated meeting attendees, hungry guests, a career blow-up, or failure on the soccer field (or elsewhere).

Strategic thinking is a challenge. Everything around us conspires to draw our focus to the urgent, which most often is about the tactical, the details, the small stuff. And then we're in danger of discovering we’ve been so busy doing things right, that we that we didn't necessarily do the right things.

Be Strategic Today—Right Now. Ask Yourself:

• Am I thinking about the big picture?
  
• Does the next thing I’m going to do make sense within the context of the big picture?
  
• Is it the best move I can make right now to advance me toward my goals?
  
• Is it the best way I can use my time, considering what I really need or want to accomplish?
  

Do the right thing, then do it right.

Strategy first, tactics second.

Do Something Different

Your 2010 "Personal Blueprint": Making it Stick

Last week you looked at your Personal Blueprint, assessed your levels of satisfaction with its various components, and chose the changes you want to make to it in 2010. Now, let’s look at the final step.

Step #4: Make the Changes Stick!

Be strategic about your 2010 Personal Blueprint! Remember the clichés about New Year’s resolutions? Avoid them with a few simple principles:

1. Build incrementally by starting one new action at a time. Take one action the first week, wait at least one week until you add the second action (it’s up to you when to add the second action. Don’t pressure yourself. The best time to add the second is when the first one feels natural, which for most of us is anywhere from one to four weeks), then a third action, etc. This way, you avoid overwhelm and create true change.
   
2. Be clear about why it’s so important to you to develop that new Personal Blueprint (why do you really want to go from a 2 to a 5 in the area of Wellness)? Answer that question for yourself, and you’ll find the motivation you need to take the action you want.
   
3. Consider narrowing down your actions to simply the top three, or even the top one. Better to make true and lasting change in one area than temporary change in several.
   
4. Create a system to see you through. The best “system” is a person. Ask a friend who understands what you’re doing to hold you accountable on a regular basis. If no one fits the bill, create a progress journal and make note of your “action activity” at the end of each day (you’ll wind up looking forward to this moment and feeling extremely satisfied at the end of the day when you get to log your progress!). Either way, you are more likely to follow through if you need to report to someone, whether a friend or to yourself.

You’ve considered your Personal Blueprint, you’ve chosen actions to improve it in 2010, and you have ideas for making it stick. As you move into the New Year and gear up to take action, focus less on where you are now, and more on that next action you’re going to take and that rating of 5 you’re going to achieve. Keep your eye on the goal!