Re-focus Yourself Fast—With Power Pauses

Q. My pace at work is frantic. I jump from one crisis to the next and there’s little time to plan better or get a handle on the larger picture. It’s a rat race, and sometimes I think the rats are winning. Is there a way out, or do I have to learn to run even faster? —Bob F.

A. Running faster is probably the worst thing you could do. The faster you run when you don’t know the larger picture—the end goal—the more you’ll be confused, frustrated, and worn out. One definition of a fanatic is someone who redoubles his efforts right after losing sight of his goals.

Pause for Your Cause

True, you’re not likely to find 60 or even 30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time to reflect on where you’ve been; where you’re going, and the key issues you have to focus on. But taking time to do just this is absolutely critical to staying focused. Try taking “Power Pauses” several times throughout the day: stopping work for 5-10 minutes to examine what you’re doing, focusing on your priorities, and re-directing control of your vision and your actions.

Plan The Next Day

Take 10-15 minutes at the end of each day to plan your work for the next day, week and month. Doing this before you go home lets you wrap up any loose ends and plan how you’ll handle the following day. Or do this in the morning, even if it means getting up earlier, when the house is quiet.

“Power Pauses” will help you stay focused and keep your day—and work—in perspective. Many people say that they just can’t find a single moment during the day to focus and reflect. When I ask, “What would happen if you were sick tomorrow—would your company have to shut down for the day?” Usually, no—because someone else will cover the job, or your work will just be put on hold, even at some inconvenience to others. But getting sick or handling emergencies is a part of life. So why not take a few minutes several

times a day—even if it means getting someone to cover for you for a few minutes—while you re-focus on where you’re going? Those who do this usually find they’re actually more productive, because they engage the right side of the brain to help them solve problems more easily—with “out-of-the-box” thinking.

Look for other opportunities to keep work and life focused—especially over the long haul:

Create “alone” time during the week. Running, walking, or bicycling alone are popular ways to “buy” quiet time for reflection. (You may have to “swap time” with a friend or your spouse a few times a week to make sure you get this “Power Pause.”

Try a few moments of self-improvement or inspirational reading to put your mind in a reflective state.

Keep a diary or journal for 5-10 minutes a day, then read what you’ve written for the week. You’ll be amazed at how easier it is to spot wasted effort—and opportunities to

save time.

Enjoy silence. Learn to spend time without hearing a conversation, a radio or TV. (Just driving home from work , with no radio or tape going, will do this; you’ll get in touch fairly quickly with what’s going on inside your head. You may even get to like the silence, because of what it can do for you.)

All this may sound like strange advice. But I’ll put my experience and reputation on the line when I predict you’ll probably work a lot smarter and find a lot more time in your life for the things you “didn’t have time to do” before you put “Power Pauses” in your life.

Don’t Waste Time Overcoming Weaknesses

It’s a new idea, and it makes sense. Instead, says the hottest new career guru, Marcus Buckingham, build on your strengths. You’ll be more successful, and you feel better about it, too, he says in his new book, The One Thing You Need to Know. His secret for success: find out what you don’t like to do and stop doing it. (Traditional performance appraisals focus on “areas of opportunity”—a nice way of saying stuff you don’t do well.)

Buckingham says the ultimate goal is to have employees so involved in their work that they lose track of time and forget their troubles (Gallup research found that 60 percent of workers fail to experience this even once a week.) One of his secrets for involving people: use the open-ended question. He says, don’t ask, “Are you organized?” Better: “How do you feel about unfinished work?” (Organized people will always say, “I hate it.”)