You’re distracted. Your customers are distracted. Your fellow commuters are distracted. We all know that our world of technology has created minds that are anywhere but here. We also know that our preoccupation holds us back from thinking deep enough to succeed in today’s business. Simply throwing as much mud against the wall to see what sticks no longer works (for the record, it’s a terrible strategy). We’ve got to focus and develop creative, tailored ideas. But how?
Of course, there are gazillions of ideas to staying focused. Do a Google search for “how to stay focused?”. You’ll see ideas ranging from meditation to isolation to wearing the opposite gender’s underwear (ok, I stole the last one from Bull Durham, but I bet it’s in an article somewhere). So, I thought I’d cut to the chase and offer one simple idea that all salespeople should implement into their daily routines – especially during their office time.
The most realistic and effective idea for salespeople to stay focused is to turn off all notifications for one hour. I mean everything – phones, email, social media, texts, ESPN pop-ups, TMZ Breaking News beeps – turn all of it off for one hour. After the hour has expired (you should use a timer btw), then spend five minutes reviewing everything. If there is something that is both urgent and important, then address it. If it is not urgent and important, then come back to it later. Now, get back to work. If you want to add a boost to this idea, then go for a five-minute walk before sinking back into focused concentration.
That’s it. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Don’t underestimate the conditioning your mind has had since you first held a smart phone. The first three minutes will seem like an eternity. Push through and eventually you’ll look forward to these hours of focus.
For more on this topic, check out my column about managing distractions in Security Business.
Ok, I gotta go - I’ve got to go turn on Instagram to see how many likes I got on the photo I posted this morning.
