In the trenches, it can get tiring dealing with everything that demands our attention. After all, it’s easier than ever to push your message or requests onto others. Texting someone causes them to refocus on your requests. A phone call pulls you away from what you are doing. The other communication channels with email, CRM systems and every social media platform are places to be attended to with vigilance if we are ever to stay on top of our worlds.
I have found a helpful lens to look at all these demands through for sanity and productivity is one of action focus. What if you attacked the influx with this one filter of whether it is actionable or not? Focusing on action eliminates much of the irrelevant information and keeps your attention on what does matter.
This not only curtails needless energy but can also make you a more effective team player. In your communications help those you collaborate with to have concrete next steps that you explicitly state. Over time, your communications are welcomed because you created clarity without the reader’s burden of having to spend time deciphering what to do next.
My guess is that using this simple worldview to manage your work, you can differentiate the noise from the signal that matters. In addition, your individual and team systems can be set up to focus on action and create a simpler process for getting to results.
How can you integrate an action focus into your current habits and systems?
