FutureSYNC Consultants can often be heard saying, “Be careful what gets your attention; it will also get your focus and energy.” That is because time is one of the greatest non-renewable resources. The best possible use of it should be a primary objective. So, what do the experts say about how to decide what gets your attention?
In an article for LinkedIn titled, “The Secret to Time Management” (2015), Daniel Goleman, an award winning author on leadership principles, suggests that, “The big challenge for attention is sorting out what’s urgent right now from what’s just a distraction. Every time you pay attention to an email, a text, a phone call, you’re turning over your attention to someone else’s agenda. It means you’ve lost that time for yourself.
When you’re interrupted, practice asking yourself: Can this wait? Can I put it aside? You’ll find that the answer is almost always yes. Leaders need the capacity to decide what matters now and then make that clear with a strong sense of goodwill. Tell people, kindly, I’ll get to that, but not just now.”
One of the most effective techniques for prioritizing and avoiding unproductive distractions is by writing out your three primary purposes and keeping them in front of you in your workspace. Be specific and succinct in your descriptions.
When the inevitable distractions appear and your organization’s tunnel of chaos begins, you can be guided by your visible statements of purpose into a higher level of personal productivity.