By MARK RIFFEY for the Flathead Beacon
Nothing destroys a work day like distractions.
Ever realize that it’s “suddenly” dinner time and all you remember doing since lunch is reading Facebook?
That’ll show up nicely on a deposit slip. Hello, stress.
Distractions are a product of your work environment, your work habits and how those two things are communicated to others.
Your work environment
What you surround yourself with is critical to your work. Clutter doesn’t help – and I mean clutter of all kinds – physical as well as electronic. It’s expensive.
These things are waiting to distract you, so you have to eliminate them from your work environment. Eliminate doesn’t necessarily mean trash.
Electronic clutter is particularly distracting to me, so I’ve surrounded myself with systems that “protect” me from it. Instapaper (free) helps me get rid of open browser tabs that I was “saving to read later”. A GTD-oriented tool helps me store project ideas and todo items on notes, in my head, in emails, etc.
Because I know they’re not “lost”, they don’t clutter up my browser, mind, desk or subconscious. Don’t take the last one lightly. Worrying about forgetting something is very distracting.
Random phone calls are also a form of clutter, so I only take calls by appointment (with very few exceptions). I know – you think you can’t do this without losing sales. I thought the same thing.
My tools may not fit you. Use what fits. Discard what doesn’t.
Your work habits
Last night at a local restaurant, I spoke with one of my Scouts who’s home from college for the summer. He’s in amazing physical condition and has been for years, despite being a skinny little guy years ago. He says people often say they want to “look like him”, but they don’t want to do the work he did to get that way.
He tells them it’s as easy as working out every day. That’s also the hardest thing until it becomes a piece of your life you aren’t willing to give up for anyone – even your immediate family. That hour a day habit that no one (or nothing) can take from you for any reason isn’t neglect. It’s building a better you so you can be better for them.
Habits are just as critical at work.
One of my mentors would growl “Just do more of what matters. Make more time by doing less of what doesn’t.” While he’s right and yes, it’s common sense, most people need help doing it.
Consider the three most important tasks you need to finish next week. Do you have to think about it to remember them? That’s not good.
I use my calendar and Things to tell me those three tasks. Neither tool forgets. I review Things every weekend and schedule work tasks on my calendar as if they were meetings, speaking gigs or other commitments.
In an age where you can watch TV on your phone and people can contact you almost anywhere, you have to take managing yourself seriously. Scheduling things (even blog writing) in my calendar is how I make sure that the important things get done – including family stuff and paying bills.
A full calendar makes it easy to say no to less important things you don’t have time for. If the important things like work and family are booked first, stuff that doesn’t matter enough has no place to go.
How those two are communicated to others
People appreciate when you don’t immediately answer your phone, but always return their call.
People appreciate when you don’t immediately reply to an email, but always reply.
People appreciate it when you don’t miss a ball game, a play, a concert or a night out, even if you have to work afterward.
When people see you glance at and then ignore a vibrating phone while in a meeting with them, they’ll ask about it the first time. When you tell them that you aren’t answering because you booked this time solely to give them 100% of your attention, your previously “unreasonable” call policy suddenly becomes reasonable.
If you work (or play) with focused attention, people will notice and appreciate it.
You mentioned stress. What about that?
How much stress would you have if you didn’t forget important things and routinely completed them?
Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a strategic, operations or marketing problem? See Mark’s site, contact him on Twitter, or email him atmriffey@flatheadbeacon.com.