Distraction
You will get distracted.
Despite your best efforts, all the coffee, and even noise cancelling head phones, it is inevitable.
Your brain is wired to notice novelty and therefore is conditioned to become distracted.
Planning for distraction is similar to planning for weather.
If you wait until the monsoon begins, it is a little late to find an umbrella.
The added challenge is that distraction, by its very nature, is impossible to be aware of in the moment it occurs.
If you could catch yourself as you got distracted, you would be better capable of avoiding it.
Unfortunately, a distraction is just that: something which pulls your attention away unconsciously.
The time to plan for distraction is before it occurs.
Planning for distraction is a proactive process of elimination.
It is also not often a “thing” you can do in the moment; at that point it is too late.
Your best pathway to plan for distraction is to eliminate things that could emerge ahead of time.
As a leader, what are you doing today to actively eliminate distraction for your team in the future?
It is easy to fixate on getting out of the rain storm right now.
It is important to consider what to prepare today for the next one.
100% Colombian Arabica goodness,
- Morning Cup