Want to be productive? Avoid interruptions.
The average office worker is interrupted -- by coworkers, emails, or phone calls -- every 11 minutes. Even worse is that it takes basically that much time to refocus on the task at hand.
The average office worker is interrupted -- by coworkers, emails, or phone calls -- every 11 minutes. Even worse is that it takes basically that much time to refocus on the task at hand.
I've only just begun to practice meditating regularly. What I've noticed is that my mind spends most of its time planning and worrying about the future or going over and over the past. How will I approach that conversation? What will I say to that employee? What time should I leave for the meeting? Or Why did I say that? Did I respond appropriately? I should have acted differently when she asked me to help.
It's insane. I'm insane.
Which I think is the point, actually. We're all a little insane. We've got this fascinating present we're living in, and we can't seem to be present in it. We're so worried about either not having lived the last moment well or not living the next moment well that we end up missing the current moment entirely.
It's ironic because the less we live in the current moment, the more mistakes we'll make in it and the more material we'll have to stress about in the next moment.
My biggest obstacle? Time. With so much to do, it's counterintuitive to take time to sit and do nothing.
Here's the most interesting thing: sitting and doing nothing has made me significantly more efficient. 20 minutes of meditation helps me avoid hours of time lost in unproductive thought, unconstructive comments, and unstrategic actions.
Turn off, log out of, or otherwise disable anything that might break your concentration. Close your email, Twitter client, and anything that might pop up a notification. Turn off your cell and close your office door. It’s okay - you won’t be gone that long, and the world will still be there when you get back.
Grab a timer and set it for 25 minutes.
Focus on your work for that 25 minutes, not letting anything interrupt you. Whatever it is, it can wait.
When the timer goes off, stop right there. Drop your pencil, take your hands off the keyboard, or whatever.
Take a break - at least 5 minutes.
