With a return to the office still some way off for many, working from home due to COVID-19 is the new normal. For some this has been a welcome change from the daily commute, and they have found their productivity increase however for many, the opposite is true. Losing the separation between work and home life has increased stress levels as people are forced to juggle home life alongside their usual work commitments. With increased distractions, many are finding they are multi-tasking more as they try to fit emails around daily zoom calls, childcare and domestics tasks.
Without a clear structure to the working day, it can be tempting to allow ourselves to flit from one task to the next. However, research has shown that multi - tasking can make us less productive as we switch tasks repeatedly without finishing them and in turn find ourselves unable to concentrate for even short periods of time. Procrastination starts to creep in as we put off more difficult tasks. So just how do we bring back the focus and attention to our working lives even if we are still based at home? One simple tool that can be used is the Pomodoro Technique. Named after the ‘tomato’ shaped timer used to focus on his tasks, Francesco Cirillo’s technique is based on breaking down tasks into blocks of time with short breaks in between. By using a timer to keep on track, we are then able to focus on each task completely for that block of time, purposefully removing multi-tasking from our day whilst increasing our focus and concentration levels. With lots of templates available online, it can be helpful to keep a daily record and challenge yourself to follow it for a week or even a month. The Pomodoro Technique:
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“Goal achievement requires personal change and it requires leaving our comfort zone” Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes 04/01/19
Broadly speaking, at any time during your career or work life you are likely to be in one of three zones: The Comfort Zone – in this zone you are comfortable, the tasks are familiar and there are no surprises. You feel confident in this zone and so it feels calm and ‘safe’ even. Effectively you are in ‘autopilot’. Whilst this zone is important when learning, to give you a space to reflect in, if you stay in this zone for too long you stop learning or developing. And the more you stay in this zone, the more likely you are to perceive new challenges as scary or beyond your capabilities and this zone ends up shrinking. This can lead to you feeling bored, unfulfilled or de-motivated in your work life. The Stretch Zone - this is the area just outside your comfort zone where you are trying new experiences or things you haven’t done before for short periods. In this zone you are stimulated as you are expanding your skills and experiences. It may not feel comfortable however you feel motivated to do it and engaged as you are learning. The Panic Zone – in this zone you are feeling out of your depth, stressed and overwhelmed. You are not learning as you are using all your energy to manage your feelings of anxiety. Sometimes you are pushed into the panic zone for short periods due to a crisis or sudden change in circumstances. However, staying in the panic zone for prolonged periods can lead to burn out therefore it is important to take steps to move back to your stretch zone. The ideal scenario is one where you are able to move into the learning zone for short periods where you are challenged, slowly expanding your comfort zone as you develop your skills and experiences whilst being able to return to your comfort zone regularly to reflect as you grow personally and professionally. Which zone are you in? Denise Kelly is a certified ILM Coach and Mentor & NLP Practitioner and founder of Focused Coaching. She works with business owners and driven professionals seeking to enhance their performance and achieve their career ambitions through 1:1 and small group coaching. For more info: https://www.focusedcoaching.co.uk or email her at denisekelly@focusedcoaching.co.uk One of the most common things people do at the beginning of the year is to make new year resolutions. Whether it is to pursue a dream career or tackle a personal challenge like getting fit, these good intentions are typically abandoned by 'Blue Monday' as today is referred to. So why set a goal at all and what is the secret to setting goals that you can stick to?
Put simply, a goal is the object of a person’s aim or ambition. It can also be helpful to think of it as the direction you want to go in however in order to take the right action, you need a plan to follow. One of the first steps is writing down your goals. Research has shown that people with written goals are 42% more likely to achieve them than those without written goals (HuffPost, Sept 2016). A common mistake people make is writing lots of goals down at once. Whilst this is useful, these need to be prioritised so that you can give all your focus and energy to the most important goals in your life at this time. Numbering them from 1-10 in terms of importance and selecting the top three to work on can help with this. There are lots of tools available to help you set goals. A common one used in coaching is the EXACT tool which involves writing them in a way that they are: - Explicit - ensuring your goal is simple and clearly stated provides clarity - Xciting - having a positive and inspiring goal helps with your motivation and future focus - Assessable - knowing how you will know when you have achieved it is important as it provides you with immediate feedback and enables you to measure progress - Challenging – having a stretching goal encourages new behaviours and skills in order to achieve it which increases self confidence - Time framed – e.g. within 3 – 6 months so you know when you need to achieve it by By stating your goals in EXACT terms, you will have a clearer picture of what you want to achieve which enables you to create a plan of action. If this is too much, even writing down your first step toward the goals will help. Set time aside regularly to review progress towards your goals e.g. weekly as this will help keep you focused. Sharing your goals with others is another good way to ensure you stay accountable and on track. By having written goals and plans of action you will immediately start to feel more in control of your future which is a positive way to start 2020 is it not? |
AuthorDenise Kelly, Coach & Mentor Archives
August 2020
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