| Business Leadership
A
lack of concentration at work is a challenge Human Resources professionals and
team leaders must grapple with frequently. In an era of digital distractions,
whether in the form of relentless notifications from social media or the
incessant pings of incoming texts and calls, there’s no rest for the workforce.
So, at a time when the call of the digital world and absentmindedness at work have become major challenges, how can these be overcome?
In
our post, we explore a few strategies that can help employees stay tuned to
their work and cut the noise to achieve greater efficiency and output.
Practise mindfulness to overcome the effects of absentmindedness
In the corporate world, the discussion on wellness and productivity has pivoted to mindfulness; the practice of being purposefully and non-judgmentally aware of your sensory experiences, both internally and externally.
While you might need mindfulness training or other resources like apps and books to inculcate this useful approach to more productive work hours, make sure your employees have an understanding of how they can be more mindful at work.
Tactics like body scans, where you focus on the sensations you experience in certain or all parts of your body, or where you hone in on and identify the sights, sounds, and smells in your external environment are extremely helpful grounding exercises.
These
help you extricate yourself from your thoughts, emotions, rumination -
absentmindedness, in other words - and focus on the present moment and the work
ahead of you.
Follow the Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique is a popular strategy many leaders use to increase their productivity and overcome a lack of concentration when they work.
To leverage the benefits of this technique, you need to work, uninterrupted, for approximately 25 minutes; it helps to set a timer for this. Once the 25 minutes are up, take a five-minute break and do something relaxing. Follow this same cycle four more times and after that, take a slightly longer break.
Formulated
by Francesco Cirillo in the early 20th Century, this method is known to be
extremely useful to overcome a lack of concentration, which can come about if
you work for long periods without taking meaningful breaks.
Make sure you’re eating well and hydrating yourself
One important factor that can contribute to a lack of concentration at work is not eating properly. While eating too much can also make you unproductive because you’re likely to be more sluggish and lazy, not eating enough can make you irritable, lose focus, and have a short attention span.
Make sure you’re eating enough of the right types of food that fill you up and give you a boost of energy without making you feel sluggish or produce short bursts of energy like sugary food.
Additionally,
try and be more mindful when you eat. Chew your food properly and focus on the
taste and texture of the food you’re eating. In addition to helping you stop
thinking about work for a while, it also helps you eat in moderation, feel
full, and enjoy your food.
Get more challenging and complex tasks done in the morning
An
important part of overcoming the lack of concentration at work is scheduling
your work intelligently.
To
ensure that you avoid doing a sloppy job on important tasks, schedule important
tasks at the beginning of the day when you’re most alert and fresh. You can
further enhance your alertness by adopting a few, brief mindful practices when
you come into work - for instance, scanning your surroundings and accepting the
bevvy of sensations you experience as a result.
Overcome a lack of concentration in yourself and your teams with mindful practices
Mindfulness is gradually becoming a mainstream practice in the corporate environment, especially at a time when stress, anxiety and other negative emotions contribute to a pervasive lack of concentration in organisations.
Mental wellbeing & mindfulness mobile application
Less stressed. More resilient. Happier. It all starts with just a few minutes a day