Take the Nearest Exit off the “Technology Loop”
I love turning off my phone. I forget my computer on purpose. I like social online but I love “social” offline. I cherish losing myself in “flow.” Compare that to: “Chitter-chatter, chitter-chatter. Do, do, do. It’s so exhausting.”
It’s really easy to follow every train of thought and every email that comes along and get lost in every conversation. The most effective people are aware of their mental approach to every interaction.
That comes from David Rock, director of the NeuroLeadership Institute.
As you digest Rock’s point, watch this scene from the comedy, Portlandia. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein will make you laugh and maybe give you a moment of clarity:http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pe-zq4bFPFU?feature=oembed&start=5
Done?
Did you think that “new email” was for you? What about the “text?” Are you stuck in a “technology loop?”
Be honest.
Here’s what’s wrong with incessantly “buzzing like a blender:”
“The productivity of entire teams can go down,” Mr. Arruda says of professionals who are running around with their hair on fire. “If you have one person rushing into meetings at the last minute and tapping a pencil through the entire session, it changes the cadence for the entire group.”
One of the reasons that we have a such a tough time dealing with bosses is in the power asymmetries inherent to the manager-managee relationship. And whether or not we declare our organization to be flat, leaders’ dispositions set the ambiance of the office.
In this way, a hurried manager will make for a hurried office. —Drake Baer
Let’s hope that’s not the tone you’re setting for your team.
Moving from action to action — without questioning whether that’s the right action at the right time isn’t productive. If you hope to lead others you must first lead yourself. And, you can’t do that unless you set the tempo and rhythm of your life based on what you deeply value.
Warren Buffett would say, “You’ve gotta keep control of your time and you can’t unless you say no. You can’t let people set your agenda in life.”
“…[B]eing stingy with your time is part of leading a creative, productive life.” In fact,
Saying “no” has more creative power than ideas, insights and talent combined. No guards time, the thread from which we weave our creations. The math of time is simple: you have less than you think and need more than you know. We are not taught to say “no.” We are taught not to say “no.” “No” is rude. “No” is a rebuff, a rebuttal, a minor act of verbal violence. “No” is for drugs and strangers with candy. —Kevin Ashton
So, stop. Breathe deep. Saying “No” is okay.
I read Thomas Moore’s book, Care of the Soul, in 1995. That book nudged me to challenge my familiar patterns. I’m slowly rewiring myself. I’m “trying” to approach life in a more relaxed way. I’m still challenged every day by someone or something. But what I’m discovering is that slowing down lets me absorb what’s most important. That lets me be more intentional about how I spend my time and get back on track faster. I like being thoughtful and deliberate. I like maintaining my focus. I like planning. I like strategizing. I like to getting the “right” shit done.
Bottom-line? Pace matters.
…[W}hen you’re alone for long enough, sooner or later you tend to appreciate what is going on in your life more deeply, what you are feeling about it. And I mean what you are really feeling, rather than the official version. And that can be good or bad. —Dionne Kasian-Lew
So, be willing to challenge feigned urgency, chaos and drama. “Stress addicts” are all around us. I talked about this dynamic in my The “No Urgency, Chaos or Drama” Zone post.
How many times did you say, “No” last week? How are you protecting your time? Are you aware of your approach to every interaction? Are those interactions productive?
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