I’m re-committing to Focus. I hope you’ll join me if you’re not already there.

You might be thinking I’m good at this given what I write and talk about, but (like many people) it’s a big challenge for me. (Can you imagine how difficult it’s going to be when our future generations get out here in the working world with us?)

My Distraction Diet Commitments…

Focus hours… Twice each work day, I will hold focus hours. From 9 am – 11 am and from 2 pm – 4 pm, I will become unavailable to anything but true emergencies. My phones will be off to anything inbound (no calls, no texts… airport mode on my cell). It’s only two 2-hour blocks of time where I’m unavailable to others. When I think I can’t do it and that people need to reach me because I’m so very important, I’ll remember that I’m not as important as I think I am.

Email… I will turn off email alerts and check it only twice a day (11:30 and 4:30). When I think that’s impossible because people need to reach me because I’m so very important, I’ll remember that I’m not as important as I think I am. (See below for letting people know how to get to you.)

Instant messaging… I will not do it. This would be like allowing someone to jump up on my desk anytime they want and interrupt my workflow (and I certainly don’t want to do that to anyone else). After all, I’m a grown-up.

Web… I will not use the web personally during my money hours (mine are between 8 am and 6 pm each work day with a break for lunch). When this gets tough because of my addiction to distraction, I’ll remind myself again that I’m a grown-up.

Phone… I will not give my attention to my iPhone when people I know are around me. If it vibrates (a ringtone? please) when I’m in a face-to-face conversation I will do my best to ignore it and give it attention when I’m alone. Fortunately, when I’m in an airport, I generally don’t know a lot of people so I can dig into my phone all I want there (although I might miss out on some of those serendipitous moments I’ve had in the past where I’ve met some very interesting people and learned new things… hmmmm).

Proximity… I will turn my desk facing away from my door.

Television… I will not channel surf. If I want to watch something, I will watch that thing and that’s it (and it will rarely, if ever, be something stupid). If I need downtime, I’ll read a book or something on the web (being careful here too, of course).

Commitment: When things get tough, I’ll remind myself that I want to succeed professionally, financially, and personally (better relationships, better knowledge). And, if I do these things, I’ll likely contribute more, make more useful things happen, earn more, and enjoy more as a result. (It’s a better bet.) When I make a mistake (break focus hours, check my email, look at the web, etc.), I’ll stop, re-commit, and remind myself I want to make good things happen (rather than living in a state of busy distraction).

These are for me and my workflow. If your work really requires more attention to email or a phone then adjust accordingly. As you make these commitments, be sure to let people know so they understand you’ll be responding to them, just at a different interval than you did before. Let them know that if they need you urgently, they should call you or visit you. If they don’t like that idea, remind them that you love them (only slight kidding here) and they’re important to you but you are trying to make good things happen and that requires hard work and focus (Cross The Line, right?). Maybe they’ll be inspired and join you in your distraction diet and we’ll all win.

Got another idea you’d like to share? I’d love to hear it. If I think it’s something everyone would benefit from, I’ll send it out in another email. Just email me at Sparker@GiveMore.com.

One last thing…

“Your business is to fix his attention on the stream. Teach him to call it ‘real life’ and don’t let him ask what he means by ‘real’.”

C.S. Lewis (1942)
from The Screwtape Letters

Here’s Louis CK’s version (funny, huh?). Warning: he’s got a bit of trash mouth.

Hang in their until the end… hilarious. Speaks to the Smile side of Smile & Move (Being awake and approachable).

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

Copyright © 2011 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of GiveMore.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

If you’re slightly more daring, call 804-762-4500 ext. 303.

That’s it.

It seems to me that too many of us forget this too often… allowing ourselves to slip in and out of some state of ego-driven entitlement rather than obsessing over making good things happen for other people (so sad).

We need to get over ourselves and kick@ss for others. We do that and everything works.

The people at Netflix get it. They call it being a "stunning colleague." (more on this below)

Don’t you love that… a stunning colleague? Aren’t stunning colleagues what we all want from the people we work with (and what we all want to be for others… yes, you do or you wouldn’t be here)?

We need to get tired of mediocrity and indifference and be positively surprising to our colleagues and customers/patients/ guests/ clients (and managers). We need to encourage each other more.

How?

Stop seeking the complex answer and embrace the simple one…

Handle what it is you’ve been given to do. Contribute your piece of the equation.

"You gotta take responsibility for the place you hold here." – Oprah Winfrey

If you lead a team of people and you’ve not read my expanded thoughts on this (no gomos, no d-grunts), they’re here.

Smile & Move.

Developing a team of people? Perhaps one of my books or messages might be a helpful tool. Visit http://www.GiveMore.com to see everything (SalesTough, Smile & Move, 212° the extra degree®, Cross The Line, etc.).

On Netflix…

These guys started the business is 1997. From October 2008 to May 2011, they enjoyed a stock ride of $18.95 to over $200 a share. In April 2011, they reported first quarter sales of $718.55 million and a net income of $60.23 million. Those stunning colleagues appear to be doing a solid job.

If you’re interested, they’ve got a fantastic slide presentation about their culture that reads like a book. Very inspiring. It can be found here… http://www.netflix.com/jobs (it’s the first one). I love it.

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Copyright © 2011 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of GiveMore.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

If you’re slightly more daring, call 804-762-4500 ext. 303.

You’d likely…

• contribute more
• waste less time ramping back up
• serve customers better (internally and externally)
• find more customers
• come up with more ideas
• plan better
• be less frustrated and stressed
• help others focus more (by interrupting them less)
• make more money (for everyone… including you)

Nothing’s guaranteed, of course. But it’s a better bet. (And in the long run, you’ll enjoy more.)

If you like these ideas, you might also like the author’s message on commitment called Cross The Line. Use this link to watch the quick little video.
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4 ways to knock out the bulk of distractions

1. Establish focus hours with your team (or company-wide) – chunks of time each day where everyone will allow everyone else to focus (that includes you). No inter-office communications unless it truly can’t wait. At GiveMore, ours are from 9 am – 11 am and 2 pm – 4 pm (4 total hours a day). You’ll make mistakes occasionally and break focus hours but with commitment and reinforcement, everyone will benefit. If you’re really tough, in order to minimize outside distractions, let your family and friends know your focus hours (and turn off your cell).
2. Turn off email alerts and commit to checking it at the most minimal level you feel is possible for your particular world without having a negative impact on service. If you’re a Smover or 212er (see below if you don’t know what these are), most of your inbound emails are probably important but still don’t need attention for at least an hour (if not longer). Be truthful with yourself and set your interval so everyone wins. If you can set only two or three specific times a day to respond to email, do it. (See below for what we learned by checking it only 3 times a day.) Consider having an auto-responder that let’s people know when you address your email (e.g., "Thanks for your note. I usually check my email three times daily (8:30 am, 11:30 am, 4:30 pm). If you need me immediately, please call my cell/ assistant/ office line.)."
3. Turn off instant messaging services unless your work absolutely requires it to get the job done. Having to phone someone or talk with them live (by visiting them) will make you more aware and respectful of someone else’s time (and yours).
4. Avoid the web during money hours unless you absolutely need it for your work. The distractions are endlessly wonderful for those who’d prefer to avoid making things happen (which of course, isn’t your goal). If you must open a browser during the money hours (or focus hours), make sure your home page is something that doesn’t have the potential to encourage you down destruction distraction road (e.g., news or email sites, personalized pages, etc.). Search and discover outside your money hours or at lunch.

1 more…

If you’re in an office setting that allows you to face away from distraction (the door or other people - not customers, of course), do it.

Managers: Depending on your team, some or all of these ideas might not go over well (we know firsthand). Involving people in a discussion, asking them for ideas on how to improve internal focus and minimize distractions, might be a good first step. Also, consistently helping people remember the purpose behind what it is you do for customers can help gain commitment to your reasons for focusing. If you’re looking for a way to encourage people to push it, take a look at 212.

Questions? Email Sam Parker.

Learn what a Smover is and what a 212er is here.

See what we learned by checking email only 3 times daily.

More on this topic from others (great stuff)…

The Web Shatters Focus, Rewires Brains by Nicholas Carr (Wired Magazine) – This one inspired us to start migrating are links out of our posts, so you can focus.

Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewicz (The American Scholar) – This one makes us want to be smarter people.

If you like these ideas, you might also like the author’s message on commitment called Cross The Line. Use this link to watch the quick little video.

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Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of GiveMore.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).