Switch off your devices and give yourself the best New year present: focus

January 19th, 2023

Ann Collins

When I'm leading team coaching sessions, one of my ground rules is that everyone, where possible, switches their phones to silent and puts them out of sight. This is not always met with joy! However, without exception, there are always people at the end of the session who feedback how nice it was to be able to concentrate properly without constant interruptions!

What is particularly noticeable is the tendency of senior leaders to be ever present and available via their phones outside of normal working hours. This is often to the detriment of their social or family life and their own ability to relax when out of work. The right to time off is one issue (seen on the statute book now in France) in order to reduce stress and allow people to rest. However in terms of wanting to perform well at any given point, switching off from multiple distractions also makes sense.

Multitasking is harming our ability to focus

Neuroscience clearly demonstrates that our brain requires focus in order to form new neural pathways and learn! This is the basis of neuroplasticity. We require focus to direct attention to the learning at hand. This is why you might not learn from a podcast if you are listening whilst driving and talking to others. Multitasking is harming our brain's ability to focus in the moment but also, as we repeat the behaviour, we are unwittingly training our brain to be less efficient!

The "concentration epidemic"

Referred to by some as the "concentration epidemic", this is a serious issue in the world of leadership, but also more generally in society. Being able to focus is a key factor required in allowing our brains to learn!

Our brains can only focus on a very small number of complex thinking tasks at any one time. This is why our working memory is often so poor when we are feeling overloaded and trying to juggle too many thoughts and decisions.

Stress and tiredness impact focus too

It isn't just phones that are distracting us, it is stress and exhaustion. The vicious cycle persists: overload, stress, foggy thinking, lack of focus, low productivity and making bad decisions. It affects all aspects of our lives as the "juggling" can feel like being on the proverbial hamster wheel.

How to reclaim your focus

Address it as an organisation and protect time for focussed work: for example, when is it NOT ok to be sending messages? Should we make meetings "no phone zone"? Allowing those in our teams allocated focus time when they need to full concentrate on a task or project? These are just some examples and there are many ways to find creative solutions that fit your team or organisation.

Ditch the multitasking

Decide to do one thing at a time and diarise. This has several advantages: you will be much more focussed and therefore more likely to do a good job on the task in hand AND you can nurture a calmer and more alert brain.

Have clear goals and get clear on your values

Your brain will thank you for it as you find it easier to focus. People around you will thank you as you move out of the fog and into a space that is not only clearer, but often happier.

Make it a focus! Energy flows where focus goes!