Let's focus!

 

Let's focus!

  • When we act on "autopilot", we are not aware of what we are doing and it brings us sometimes serious problems. Here are 8 tips to get out of the moon.

By: Laura Centeno, Country Director, People Working Corp. Costa Rica lcenteno@pworking.com

Have you ever lost your house or car keys and you had them in your hands, have you asked the same question to someone who just answered you but did not pay attention, do you often forget important dates and remember sometimes a little late, do you have a hard time introducing a person you know but do not remember his or her name, were you going to open a file on your computer, do you have a hard time introducing a person you know but do not remember his or her name? You were going to open a file on the computer but then an email came into your inbox and you forgot what you were going to do before answering it, you have had traffic accidents due to carelessness while driving, you forgot an important password, your wallet disappears and appears hours later in the most absurd places? Well, all that and much more has happened to me. Some funny like carrying two right shoes in your bag, some stressful like losing important cards and documents, and some costly like minor traffic accidents (just for the heck of it).

What happens, many times we do thousands of daily tasks but without paying 100% attention to the work we are doing at that moment. We are thinking about many other things instead of concentrating on doing well what we are doing in the present because we are remembering past events or rushing to think about things that have not happened yet.

There are some good practices to keep the mind focused.

  1. Forget about multitasking: Think that each thing you do can be done better if you are fully thinking about getting it done and finishing it before you start doing other things.
  2. Be tidy: always leave your keys in the same place, your wallet or purse, file really important documents where they are safe and try to use technology to keep your agenda up to date. Do not rely on memory, it is best to write everything down, it is easier. If it is not in the agenda, it does not exist.
  3. Make a list of tasks: and check them off once they are done, do not try to do several things at once because it may take longer and you may not do them correctly.
  4. Put chats on mute: especially from friends while you are busy working and catch up with them after you have done the important and urgent tasks. If social networking takes your concentration away, disconnect until you have free time.
  5. Take time to get ready: for the next day, from the clothes you're going to wear to important meetings to snacks and meals. Once ready, check that you haven't forgotten something important, like the computer for example, and the next day you won't have to rush to do the things you could have done more calmly and accurately.
  6. Practice meditation: find a space free of distractions, noises and once a day take several minutes to concentrate on conscious breathing. On Youtube there are options such as the body scan to relax all the muscles of the body from the tips of the toes to the head, trying to leave the mind free of worries and thoughts and concentrating only on conscious breathing. There are also mobile applications that are useful to give yourself a space for meditation and introspection. I recommend the book Full Catastrophe Living by Dr. Jon Kabat, you can buy it online with a lot more information.
  7. Be aware: think that all tasks, no matter how routine they may seem, such as driving, require concentration to avoid accidents, which every year claim the lives of many people on the road. It is necessary that we are fully aware of the importance and care we must take with the actions we are performing and the consequences of not paying attention to what we do.
  8. Let's learn to listen, pay attention to the instructions: when we are talking to someone, let's not get distracted by the cell phone, the computer or talking about other subjects at the same time. Let's be attentive to what they are telling us. How many times does information that may be important come in one ear and go out the other? Use the computer only if it is to take important notes of what you are talking about in a meeting so as not to forget details.

 

I hope this information will be useful so that you don't experience all the pain that has happened to me. Welcome to Earth, a hug.

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