As our data highlights, 77% of event profs regularly experience overwhelm, 81% skip taking regular breaks, and 73% struggle to focus
Our rapidly evolving working habits, the lifestyle of notification overload, and an industry renowned for always being on sit amongst some of the root causes of these worrying stats.
Not surprising then to be told that on average we get 70 smartphone notifications a day, and if you’re under 23 that increases to 237.
On top of that did you know that every time you’re interrupted it takes 23 minutes to get back to the same level of focus? Yet that’s how we live our lives. Smartphones, watches, emails, social media, Slack, Teams, and the endless ping of notifications provide constant interruptions throughout the day
It’s so ingrained in how we live that, even if we don’t receive a notification, we still pick up our devices checking to see if we’ve got one. Our brains and bodies have been trained to go through the whole working day multitasking. In simple terms, our brain has too many tabs open!
And according to The Economist, 28% of our workday is lost to multi-tasking and distraction. That’s three months of every year!
I was running a workshop last week and one of the event prof participants said to me that they felt they were constantly overworked. I replied “do you have too much work or are you working in the wrong way? Have you considered the latter might be the issue and not that the company is overworking you?” When we’re constantly interrupted we can’t expect to be at our most productive. But if we rewire the way we plan our workday and in doing so limit our interruptions then we can go into deep focus mode. Here is a simple 3-point plan to better productivity, less stress and overwhelm, and more focus.
- The 90-minute rule -Break your day into 90-minute or 2-hour chunks. In those chunks, turn off all notifications, close any browsers that might distract you, and put your phone in another room. Then focus on focussing on some predefined set tasks or projects for that set time. When the timer goes, take an unapologetic break. Go for a walk, or go outside. Move away from your desk and make sure the break is an unapologetic one. Then repeat the process.
- Your Environment Matters. Optimise your workspace for success. Create a designated workspace that is free from clutter and away from the kitchen or anywhere you might be interrupted
- Don’t go it alone.
You can try this on your own of course, but that’s hard when your teammates, boss, or workplace don’t align with this approach. The big challenge is getting the whole team to do it. There needs to be a shift in the team’s way of working and expectations. It can be done, and when it is done the difference in productivity and focus is incredible. But it’s a challenge and something that ideally needs to be led from the front. Why not suggest it at your next team meeting? It’s a small shift that has huge results. Not only in terms of work output but also in terms of the team’s mental health. Try one session and I promise you, it’ll change the way you work
The next time you think you’re overwhelmed and/or overworked, ask yourself if that’s really the problem or whether you need to change how you’re working.
Removing interruptions and retraining our brains to focus on one thing at a time is a game changer for productivity and for quality of work. And at the same time, removes the anxiety and the “I can’t get shit done” stress
In today’s modern world, our productivity and focus is always under attack. Use the simple strategies above to reclaim your time You’ll add back 3 months to your life every single year. And add back 10 years over a career!
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