On distraction

As you probably know by now, I am big into ONE THING. Helping people, teams, and organisations focus on what matters and "doing it deep". That means not trying to do so much at once that nothing is ever done well.

We see this in organisations with agendas as big as the whole outdoors or where "doing more with less" has become the mantra - rather than "doing less better". And that's not about being lazy, it's simply inefficient.

Because we know trying to do too many things means things get rushed and don't stick - so they soon have to be redone. Or we overwhelm our people with everything that is going on, impact their health and increase the risk of leaving. All of which are costly in one way or another.

And we know this for ourselves. Multitasking is a myth. Our brains are exhausted by constantly switching from one task to the next. When our attention is divided, we are less effective.

There are so many things to distract me on any given day. Some I manage better than others.

The golden age of streaming services offers hours of delights.

Our pocket contains a world of information, music, a myriad of entertainment and connection with those we care about and those we don't know, envy or possibly hate. It constantly beeps and pings for attention.

And we have been released from two years of restrictions, finally able to get ourselves back out into the world with shopping, sports, the arts and nature to explore.

So with all of this happening, and some interesting work and these beautiful, mild late summer days, why, oh, why, did I get a cat?

Meet Spooks. The newest member of my team hard[ly] at work - and an endless distraction as cute and funny seem to happen constantly.

We see a lot written about the effects of distractions in the workplace, and for me this last week, it has not been electronic. Instead, it has been fur and meows.

Not all distraction is unwelcome. Doing ONE THING and doing it deep can sometimes wait until we have a game of "catch the string".