Hi Reader,

Whenever I see the powerful image below, my stomach turns to water.

It's one of my all-time favorite images and yet I am absolutely baffled when I watch these guy sitting around. Not in a million years could I imagine a job that had me sitting on a girder thousands of feet in the sky.

They don't look focused at all ... more like they're in the local pub playing darts – lighting up a smoke, eating lunch, chewing the fat with their buddies.

Oblivious to their safety? Or, supremely focused so that sitting on an iron girder is just one more task in the day. They're in the comfort zone, knowing they're on the job and can do it better than anyone else?

Maybe they've attained a higher level of focus - so clear and balanced and confident that they can do their job – anything maybe – without breaking a sweat or a body part.

"I got this," they're thinking.

Focus as a state of mind.

Intense Focus is actually refreshing.

There is another phenomenon at work here, too.

Have you ever noticed how refreshing it is when you’re so focused on something that you lose track of time? That may be the men atop that skyscraper.

think your mind actually skips a few beats as it steps across an imaginary boundary and arrives somewhere that’s so consuming that nothing else matters.
​

The intense focus that keeps everything else out of your head is both a great relaxer and a refreshing monument to the power of focus.

Be An Orchestra Conductor

We've talked about the focus and concentration of orchestra conductors as well as pilots.

They have at least one powerful attribute in common.

They are intensely focused while they’re doing their job. They block out everything, riveted to the outcome they seek.

I sure hope that's what pilots are doing.

Skydiving would surely get my undivided attention.

Without a parachute — a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

What Does the Research Show?

Research shows modern office workers are interrupted at an alarming rate, often experiencing up to 275 distractions—or one every two minutes—from emails, chats, and meetings.

That's a startling number, isn't it?

Consequently, employees are fully productive for only about 3 hours of an 8-hour day — AND all pings do NOT come from coworkers.

According to workplace behavior data, nearly half (44%) of all interruptions are voluntary, with workers shifting their own attention as a coping mechanism for boredom or task fatigue.
You can explore the broader implications of digital ping frequency and communication culture by reading the full Microsoft Work Trend Index​

Remember this. Workplace distractions have always been around.

You can quit blaming technology and social media. They're just a different form of distraction.

8 Concepts to Focus & Get More Done Without Working 8 Days a Week

You don't need all of these, but if you want to Become a More Effective Leader and get more done, I hope you'll find a few of these that will work for you.

1. Organize Your Workspace.

You don’t see conductors reading a book or pilots watching television while they’re focusing on their work. There is an intense, single focus on just that activity.

Nothing is in front of them or in their work space that would distract them.

Organize your workspace accordingly.

2. Find another workspace.

If you can’t organize your own workspace?

Leave. Go somewhere else where the distractions aren’t in your face.

The old school view is that a coffee shop has too many distractions, but I’d submit that there are far fewer distractionsthan in your office. They are just of a different nature.

There is ambient noise but that can be almost soothing.
It doesn’t create “interruptus” as much as it blocks out other distractions.
​
Besides, if you’re working on your laptop or tablet, or even reading a document, you’ll be focused on that single activity and not the other hundred things lurking about your workspace.

This is one of my favorite hacks. When you've got a specific task that requires reading, studying, writing – and it demands your undivided attention, this can be a great approach even if only for a few hours.

3. One thing at a time.

Multitasking is a mirage.

You think it’s there, helping you along, but it’s not. You can’t do more than one thing at a time.

In fact, I’ll bet $5 to your $1 that if you focus on 5 things individually over the course of an hour, – one at a time – you’ll make much more progress than trying to pay attention to all of them, mixed all around, over the same 60 minute period.

If you have any doubt about this, start with The Myth of Multitasking​

Still not convinced? Try Your Brain Can't Handle More Than One Thought at a Time​

4. Get rid of the “open door policy”

I know many senior executives who proudly boast of their open door policy — often because they think it assures the team that they're one of them and always willing to help.

"I'm not sitting in an ivory tower — I'm with and among the people."

Of course, those are the same executives who are often late, documents go in but never come out — and any initiative in which they're involved?

Count on it to be very late indeed.

our job is NOT to be accessible 24/7 to anyone and everything — unless you're a greeter at a big box store.
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If you must, have an open door for a few hours/day. Max.

Only specific inviolate hours.

5. Stop living in your inbox.

Check your inbox and social media sites at the door.

Set a specific schedule and follow it.

Don’t worry, they’ll find you if there’s blood on the floor.

Otherwise, whatever is there will await your attention. They won’t leave without you.

People email you when it’s convenient for them, not when it fits into your schedule.

If you’re going to Become a More Effective Leader, you need manage your own agenda ...

... on your time and in accordance with your schedule ...

... so you can do the things that ONLY YOU can do.

6. Make lists. Follow them. Don’t deviate.

Over the years, I’ve written often about the value of checklists. There’s a real no-brainer “proof of concept” there you don’t want to miss. We'll discuss it in greater detail in an upcoming newsletter.

Your list(s) will help keep you inside the guard rails.

If your daily work list — in whatever form it takes — is complete, sticking to it, without careless or thoughtless distraction, can make all the difference.

7. Track your time

This is a time-honored hack that likely harkens back to the dawn of the industrial age … with an image of an engineer standing around with a stopwatch in hand.

If you’re really struggling and are at a loss for where you’re spending … or wasting your time … you'll find a thorough review of the pros and cons of time tracking here.

Don’t think about it, just write it down.
At the end of the week, you’ll probably be surprised by how your week went.

8. Block out time

There are many ways to do this, and time-blocking has become a very popular tool these days.

I like the idea of blocking out 1-2 hours, first thing in the morning, to tackle the top priority for the day without looking up to see who’s looking for who to do what.

You could also try blocking out multiple times throughout the day to focus more intently on specific projects

Here's one of many articles about time blocking that might prove to be a useful tool for you.

Summary

Each of these conceits is a valuable nugget to strengthen your Effectiveness, but you don't have to grab all of them.

You may be familiar with most of them — so use this summary as a handy checklist to make sure you're consistently using the ideas you know work well for you.

1. Organize Your Workspace
2. Find Another Workspace
3. One Thing at a Time
4. Get rid of the “Open Door Policy”
5. Stop Living in Your Inbox
6. Make Lists. Follow Them. Don’t Deviate
7. Track Your Time
8. Block Out Your Time

Pretend you’re a pilot ... and you ARE the pilot of your life.

There are a lot of lives at stake (mostly yours in our little pretend world) but you’re going to intensely focus to make sure you have a successful flight and a safe landing.

Let me know what you think.

Which of these 8 ideas do you struggle with the most? Just hit reply – I read every response.

If you have strategies that work for you, share them below or email me at [lary at exkalibur.com]

I'll share the suggestions I receive in a future issue of Sword Tips.