Driven to Distraction at Work

How to Focus and Be More Productive

“A persistent feeling of being rushed or in a hurry.”

“An inability to sustain lengthy attention to a thought.”

“A tendency to hop from task to task, idea to idea, even place to place.”

The above are symptomatic of what Dr Hallowell calls 'Attention Deficit Trait' or ADT. This is not, he emphasises, a genetic issue but one caused by the modern working environment. Not only does it take a toll in respect of performance; it also has a knock on adverse affect on people's sense of wellbeing in their lives.

Hallowell says it is time people reclaimed control.

The 6 most common distractions at work

1. "Screen Sucking" - the compulsion to be online / hyperfocus on technology
2. Multitasking - the dangers of not being able to say 'no' / need for boundaries
3. Idea hopping - not finishing what you start / having insufficient structure
4. Worrying - toxic worry rather than problem solving
5. Playing the hero - fixing other people's problems rather than your own
6. Dropping the ball - unable to get organised and focus on what really matters

Training your attention

Hallowell says that most people feel that the distractions caused by technology and modern workplace practices are inevitable and just have to be tolerated. His view, however, is that there are various practical and reliable techniques you can develop that will help to maintain a more resourceful personal state and harness the power we all have to take control and overcome distractions.

Here are some of the key ways he suggests you can overcome ADT:

• Energy - your body and especially your brain cannot function without sufficient energy so sleep, nutrition, exercise and meditation are all important ways to ensure you have enough energy available.
• Emotion - your emotional state drives your focus and performance so understanding your own triggers and developing ways to manage your emotions will support your ability to sustain focus.
• Engagement - Hallowell talks about the importance of the 'sweet spot' for optimal focus and performance which is the overlap of doing what you're good at, that you love to do and that you're paid to deliver.
• Structure - how you shape your day, how you spend your time, what boundaries you create, what rules you follow, what systems you use, what hours you keep, what breaks you take, what you prioritise, which tasks you take on and which you delegate, what plans you make, and what flexibility you create. Without structure, focus is impossible and chaos takes over.
• Control - if you don't take control of your time and attention, someone or something else will, so it's vital that you consciously choose how, when and where you give your focused attention.

"That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.
But it's worth it in the end because once you get there,
you can move mountains."