Zen While You Work
Many people are beginning to wonder if the business they are trying to run or have imagined is still worth it because of burn-outs or they simply had a different perspective of things at that time. We often complain that we have no control of some things. Is it that we don’t have control or because we simply allow it to happen?
Technology makes everyone work in the gray areas these days. Instead of doing one thing at a time we often end up doing multiple things. People are being required to have multitasking skills. Initially this was thought to be a good thing but it has its limits and many times multitasking can lead to a lot of complications. Many of us are guilty of talking on the phone or checking emails while on our lunch break, answer text messages inquiries while in a meeting and many other things at the same time. Whatever happened to what was taught when we were young about doing things one at a time and focusing on that?
Focusing at work can resolve a lot of issues and prevent you from burning out and hating what you do. You can achieve Zen (a total state of focus that includes a total togetherness of body and mind) while running a business by incorporating some discipline in yourself and how you respond accordingly to the things around you.
Be the Boss of your gadgets not the other way around!
You may be one of those individuals who simply can’t do without their smart phones and other gadgets. There is nothing wrong with these devices as long as you don’t let them be your masters. As entrepreneurs it is important that you are reachable by clients and the people who work under you. However since you own the company you should be able to set guidelines, that there would be an allotted time where you will be attending to their need. You need to tell them that at these instances you will be unreachable. And you need to hold true to that. Learn to put your gadgets in their proper place meaning, you should still be able to function without them. Be able to turn them on and off when need be. This will help you focus on the tasks that need to be done without any interruptions. Face the fact that many of these gadgets are a distraction in meetings and our supposed alone time.
Minimize multitasking as much as possible.
It may now be a challenge to a lot of people to do only one thing at a time since many have been used to juggling work for quite some time. But if you think of it, doing one thing at a time and focusing on that can actually save you time and effort. You do not only get to finish early but you can say that you have put your entire attention to what you were doing. There is a need for you to be able to delegate. This is one of the primary skills that you should learn as a business individual.
Prioritize, schedule, focus and be realistic.
These five words can bring calmness and energy to you and your business. Knowing what is important and giving your time and attention to it in a possible way will help you achieve your goals and minimize stress and needing to hurry up all the time. Do the things that need to be done and things usually have a way of falling into place.
That’s why it’s vacation.
Taking one long vacation or multiple vacations a year no matter how short they are makes a big difference. It’s called vacation because you are supposed to be away from your work. Turn of your mobile phone or if you really can’t, minimize the calls that you make or take. Stop checking your email because you should not be doing work and your business partners or employees should understand that you are on your vacation. They cannot fault you for not responding to the email because you are on a scheduled vacation. This is the time for you to renew yourself and recover from all the taxing things that you have been doing in running your business to success.
Sometimes we all need to go back to the basics to move forward and be more productive. Go back to the time when you use to do one thing at a time and being able to put your whole heart and mind into it. It can give you a lot of clarity and help conserve energy that you can use to do other things.
Summary provided by MyOffice, your virtual office solution for small businesses. Find out how you can have an office & staff for only P1T/month.
Related readings:
10 Ways to Lose Friends and Alienate coworkers with Bad Mobile Behavior
The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time
OFFICE ZEN: AUDIO TIPS ON FOCUSING ON ONE TASK AT A TIME