Filter more: Not everything deserves valuable real estate in your frontal cortex. Some things can be routed and stored for batch processing later on. Try to filter email that is routine and requires minimal attention. Make things like bills and coupons available when you need them, but out of your in-box and brain. Save these for later for when you ultimately climb into the elusive “paying bills and balancing the checkbook” zone.
Delegate? Sounds great!: Some things you procrastinate on maybe be other people’s problem. Knowing it’s in some one else’s hands will free you from the guilt and let you worry about other, more important things.
Home based chore delegation: chorebuster.com
Work based project task delegation: Google Sites
Step back and pause: Think of things in context, the big picture. Getting lost in minutia and process often leads to missing the actual goal. Set aside a time every week to get a grip. About an hour would be ideal.
“Golden Rule” communication: Do unto others as you would have done unto you. Don’t write long emails. Don’t leave long messages. Don’t forward what doesn’t need to be forwarded to those who don’t need to know. Here we are hoping that our investments in effective communication make their way back to you.
And be ready to enforce your rule. If you get a long email, that would take longer than 2 minutes to read, reply back courteously asking what you need to know.
Meditate: Lower your stress and learn how your brain works in the process. You’ll be better able to direct where your attention goes with practice, and achieve a more serene existence in the pursuit.
Filed under: attention in the workplace, GTD, meditation
