How to Eliminate Destractions

Guest post by: Sylvia Lafair
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The real meaning of leadership - By Sylvia Lafair

Have you ever been in "the zone" thinking through a business problem, finishing a project, completing a complex spread sheet? Suddenly there is a knock at the door, a ring of the phone, a beep of the computer all calling you away from task at hand?

Research shows that when you are concentrating distractions cost big bucks; millions of dollars float away in lost time and lost ideas. Distractions are the bane of highly competent business people. Yet, most of us complain and never do much to harness this annoying intruder.

Think about it; would you keep going back to a seaside vacation spot year after year that never handled a mosquito invasion? Would you keep going to the same business hotel that had loud, dinging bells at the elevator that you could hear even at the very end of the hall and kept you up all night?

When someone says "Hey I just need you for a second" did you ever count the minutes that second turns into? If you are deep in thought, ready to break the barrier to a new creative idea and you are called to an impromptu meeting what do you do?

Most of us treat distractions like a thief with a gun. We put our hands up and say "Whatever you want, take it". Never thought of distractions in such a dramatic way before? It's an important image to keep in mind.

One of the most precious commodities we all have that is the great equalizer is time. Everyone gets the same amount of hours, minutes, and seconds to contend with each day, no exceptions. In my Total Leadership Connections program one of the key modules is about how to tame the behavior patterns that keep us from true freedom. Those are the patterns that distract us and are the thieves of time and creativity.

Here are 3 tips to keep our minds and emotions focused on the business of business:

1. MUSIC: yes, music. Get a good pair of headphones and when concentrating listen to anything Mozart; not a classical fan, then anything Beetles will work. Research shows that certain types of music foster focus and keep the distractions to a minimum.

2. SIGNAGE: get a piece of white paper and in RED letters say your variation of "Not now unless bleeding to death" or its equivalent. Red means stop and most people will. Add an exclamation mark at the end of the sign!!! You will have limited the mosquito population to visit your cube or office.

3. SILENCER: no, not for a gun. Turn off your phone, turn off your computer, go ahead, just do it. You will be shocked to find that the world still turns and people actually solve problems without your input.

Many of us are addicted to the deep behavior pattern of super achiever and think no one can live without our knowledge; maybe true and usually not true. When we claim time for ourselves without distractions magic can happen. New ideas flow like a waterfall and the end result is excellence. Give it a shot; you are in charge and the distractions will fall away; I promise you!!!!

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The real meaning of leadership - By Sylvia Lafair

About the Author: Sylvia Lafair

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Developing leaders and transforming teams is my speciality. As a clinical psychologist I know that we bring the behaviors we learned in our original organization, the family, into our present work organization. The key to leadership is understanding how individuals form a system and how that system impacts the bottom line. I have worked globally and find that the core of relationships is much the same whether in California, China,or Chile. My book "Don't Bring It to Work (Jossey Bass) offers tools and strategies for developing collaborative work cultures and important core techniques for entrepreneurs to have motivated and fast moving teams. I am a speaker at national conferences, radio, and television. You can follow my blogs at http://www.sylvialafair.com/blog/ . You may contact Sylvia Lafair, PhD, author of "Don't Bring It to Work" directly at, sylvia@ceoptions.com or 570-636-3858 for any questions or feedback you may have.
Click here to visit Sylvia's website.

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