Where To Focus During A Pandemic
I'm seeing a lot of emails and webinars on how to stay productive, how to focus, and how to set up your desktop space to maximize productivity during the COVID pandemic. I'm not sure that they all address an underlying root issue, though: where to focus during a pandemic.
I'm not saying they're bad, I actually wrote one or two or those kinds of posts, myself.
But there's an important focus that is being ignored during this crazy time.
We're all stuck in our homes.
Some of us were laid off.
Some of us are scared to go to the grocery store.
Some of us are the ones picking up groceries for others.
Some of us are unaffected and bored (for now).
Some of us are on the front lines and watching their friends get sick.
How do I focus on what's important during a pandemic?
Yes, we should be productive.
Yes, we should be helpful.
Yes, we should do our part.
But even more important, during a time like this, is relationships.
With a little extra time on our hands, checking in with the people we love in our lives is even more important.
Isolation exacerbates fears and anxieties. It also can make you just plain crazy.
I don't know about you, but when I have extra time to think and work, it can make me overthink and overwork.
Anxiety, fear, and overthinking can make you lash out and be defensive. It can make you fight with the people who are on your own team.
Instead of indulging in excess Instagram, excess work, excess frozen pizza, or excess whatever you indulge in . . .
Try connecting with your family and friends to check-in.
When all of this is over, you will remember the fight and those who helped you through it.
Feeling motivated by a community is much more helpful than setting up your desk with just the right wood and just the right monitor and just the right headphones.
When the dust settles, the people around you will remember how you handled this stress and pressure--not that you used the pomodoro technique or even how much work you actually accomplished .
So, when we think about how this applies to our day-to-day, consider how it feels to have interacted with you.
This is a leadership opportunity.
The more we empathize and connect with each other, the more likely we are to trust one another.
The more we trust one another, the more we'll be able to rebuild our communities and world.
2 Minute Action:
Text a friend.
Leave a thank you note for your partner in the kitchen.
I guarantee that it can only take 2 minutes or less to make a difference to someone.
Say thank you.
And mean it.
Read This If You Feel Guilty Taking Breaks
You know the feeling.You should have been working.You might have a deadline, you might not, but you're somehow still just plain guilty.And I'm sure you've heard the pitch that "taking a break is good for productivity!"Just look at the Pomodoro technique, which advises 25-minute bursts of activity before taking 3-5 minute breaks.And sometimes that's true. Most people have about 3-4 hours of highly focused attention and energy before they get fatigued and need to reset. There is huge variance here, so don't accept this number as the gold standard.Over time, like training in a gym, you can improve your number.You've probably also read stats somewhere claiming that the human attention span is about 8 seconds (compared to the 9 seconds of a goldfish,) and that it's shrinking probably due to our use of smart devices.
A Brief Aside:
. . . Please check your sources. Most of these claims come from a report from the Consumer Insights Team from Microsoft Canada who surveyed ~2,000 people in 2015. This is not an empirically based study, it hasn't been replicated, and there is no other body of evidence in the field support this. Just a public service reminder that not everything you read on the internet is verified.
So here's the answer:
I'm not going to tell you the same B.S.:
- "Listen to what your body needs."
- "Breaks help increase productivity."
- "Stop feeling guilty because it's actually good for you."
No.Feel guilty.You're allowed to feel however you're going to feel. That's how feelings work and that's the punchline.It's only after you let yourself experience the feeling of guilt that you can 1) forgive yourself for not being perfect and 2) decide if you want to be present and deliberately experience your time off or get back in the saddle and push yourself.There's no right or wrong answer here.You do have to go through it, though.
2 Minute Action:
When was a time you recently felt guilty about something?Overeating? Taking a nap? Procrastinating?Now ask yourself this . . .
- What would happen if you didn't beat yourself up?
- What would you say to a friend or family member who was going through this?
- What might your best friend advise you to do?
Try using these questions "in the moment" and see if you can better regulate your emotion and get your head back in the game whether that means pushing your limits or getting an extra REM cycle.It's up to you and there's no wrong answer.You're just responsible for learning.