Work ... and then release

Put yourself under some pressure, focus on the thing to be done ... work.

Focus so you have no other distractions.

Focus because it’s not forever. (You will get a break.)

Focus because it’s so effective in getting the thing done.

Better than advancing on six different tasks, inching forward on each one, our mind switching erratically, losing time to get back up to speed. It’s such a waste to persist with this old way of thinking and working. Is it connected with the beliefs, ‘If I work hard and long: - I’ll get the results - I’ll look busy, be seen as indispensable - I’ll be seen as dedicated?

But what about the outcome? What is being achieved? How long is it taking? And do you know?

Try pressure (focus) ... and then release (break). Set a time to focus on a task and only that task. This is the pressure or constraint. Then work. . . . And then release. Walk, stretch, get a drink, move yourself, do something else. Avoid the ‘mixing-it-all-up-into-one-big-day-of-endless-work.’

Pressure. And release. You’ll feel better, work better and do better. 

Taming distraction

Not every plan goes to plan. Inspiration may not show up when we’d like it to. Getting into a ‘flow’ with our work can be impossible at times.

Distractions are everywhere.

⏺ Internal distractions happen when our day-dreaming, mind-wandering brain looks for a release of pressure.

⏺ External distractions are bright shiny anythings promising rewards: people, screens, programs, food, random tasks.

One of the best ways to deal with distractions - internal and external - is to trick ourselves by following a system or process to keep us on track.

A hack for our mind.

Whether it’s a timebox, a task sliced from a bigger piece of work, a creative constraint or a gamed activity - we now know there are things we can do to make work easier, more focused and more productive for us ... even when times are tough.

Thinking a to do list will still do is an old way of thinking and working.

To do lists have evolved - and no, not just to a tech version in an app! How we prepare to do the work has changed. There are new and better ways of thinking and working available to us.

These ways are used by some, unknown to many yet available to us all. We are in an era where how we work is ripe for the hacking. 

Participants and observers

As well as being participants in times of change, we can also be observers. We can watch what is happening, spot trends, notice change and join the dots of these observations and experiences. 

There is hindsight (working out what happened) and there is foresight (suggesting what might happen in the future). 

We can also be more tuned in to the now. This is the place of insight. 

It’s where and when insights come to us. We can take notice of these cues or let them fly by, remaining oblivious to them. 

Observing and interpreting insights is a vital part of adapting to uncertain and changing times. It’s a part of the capability that is Sensemaking. 

How do we do this observation and Sensemaking thing better? 

-Listen 

-Write things down 

-Reflect and review at the end of a conversation or meeting 

-Review your notes again later on 

-Sleep on it 

-Notice what you think the next day. 

Your brain will have done some incredible sorting, decluttering and rearranging overnight. And that is some of the best Sensemaking we can be doing... without even knowing it! 

Listen, notes, review, sleep on it, response. It can help us make sense of the strangest things. 

We're doing what we thought we couldn't do

“We’re doing what we thought we couldn’t do” - said a frontline worker in an agency I was speaking with last week.

 When new - and different - ways of doing things are forced on us, we have to find ways to make it work. We are responding and solving, getting around obstacles and finding our way through and over things.

Our ingenuity and adaptability is high. Yes, we are doing what we thought we couldn’t do. In some instances, we are now doing what people were trying to have us do years ago. We are doing what people had proposed, requested, asked for and suggested ... many times in the past.

It’s happening in finance, in retail, in medical and health care, in education and training, in human resources, with boards and governance and in industries and sectors all over the world. We are doing many things we thought we could not do.

Let this encourage you to keep finding the things we are currently saying can’t be done... that we know can be. 

Make sense of what you can

It’s not possible to understand or make sense of everything ... you know, not everything! When we are understanding, learning and ‘connecting the dots’ about a situation over a period of time, we are making sense ... sense making.

We do it naturally and instinctively but we can also learn and focus on how to do more sensemaking better, sooner, quicker.

There is value and calm for us focusing on the stuff we can make sense of and to not worry so much about the rest... the chaos. As more information comes to hand about a situation, our sense of the situation grows. We know more. We make more sense. The chaos can become a little less chaotic perhaps.

We can’t know everything all at once. It kind of doesn’t work that way. We will see more and differently as more things come to light for us. There's no need to battle all the chaos, all the time.

Join me as we just make sense of the things we can, progressively, bit by bit.