What’s really to blame for lack of focus in the workplace?
I recently came across an article by George Cloutier, the “Turnaround Ace” on Entrepreneur.com entitled “Love Your Business More Than Your Family“.
George blames family for lack of focus in the workplace. He says that many business owners spend their time dealing with family issues instead of working, taking countless phone calls, leaving early for kids games or time to watch a TV with then. He states that people who work at home are prone to spending time on family stuff instead of behind their desks.
I believe the problem is centered less around “families” and more around the myriad of interruptions that occur, whether you work at home or in an office setting. It’s not only family issues that take one away from what they “should” be focusing on, it’s the myriad of ways to be interrupted countless times over the business day by business issues as well.
For example: A couple of years ago I worked with a client that developed gaming software. They had an open plan office, which made it too easy to stop by someone’s desk. They not only communicated with each other by email and cellphone, but also by texting and IM. It was almost impossible to stay focused for too long or get anything done without interruptions, and as a result, many of their staff worked long hours to compensate, and some were starting to burn-out. Interestingly enough, management did nothing to discourage this, despite the fact that they could easily increase productivity by 10% or more and without having their staff burning the midnight oil.
So how do we get back in focus?
The first step is to learn how to set boundaries around interruptions. I’m a huge proponent of work life balance, but I do mean balance, not going to one extreme or the other. In order to be most productive at work and therefore have the most time for our families and personal lives, we must set clear boundaries and not allow interruptions to eat up our time.
The case for “comparmentalizing” your time:
Let’s face it, most of us go to school and then onto a job. During our formative years, our time is scheduled by teachers, then by bosses. People who decide to go into business for themselves often struggle because they lack structure, thus finding it hard to stay focused on “businessy” stuff during the day and themselves working into the night to compensate.
When working with a new client who experiences these type of struggles, I often help them to establish “regular business hours”. Specific and scheduled time when you’re focused on work, and regular downtime hours when you’re focused on your personal life. Mixing the two is possible for some, but not most people, largely because when the lines are fuzzy, it’s harder to keep focused on what you’re doing, and therefore you’re less productive. And, by having regular business hours and letting your clients and vendors know about it, they’ll be much less likely to call you on your cell phone after hours.
Have you ever had trouble focusing on what needs to get done? What’s worked for you?
Susan Martin, Time Management Coaching
