To take back control of your time and energies you have to be cognizant of your state of mind. Start by understanding and recognizing what your mental state is at any particular time.
In your waking hours your energy is centered in one of four mental states:
Reactive and Distracted State
The reactive and distracted state is sadly the typical mental state for most people. They are trying to multi-task which is an impossible ask of the human brain. They switch-tasking, distracted by technology, putting out fires, procrastinating and basically lack control of their environment. If you find yourself in this state you are likely occupied with activities that may be imporant or time sensitive, but you are in a constant reactive state of mind which is stressful. It is not inherently dire and it is sometimes necessary because you do need to respond to customer or employee demands. But, many studies show it is counterproductive. It leaves little time for strategic thinking, deep work, or meaningful personal time.
Furthermore, that behavior doesn’t always stop when you leave work. Many people stay trapped in a reactive zone because they lack control over their surroundings. If that happens to be you, over time, trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle of being in a reactive and distracted state you will not thrive.
Daydreaming State
When you are in a daydreaming state it is totally free of distractions. The daydreaming state is not an escape and it is far for useless. It is a desireable state because it restorative for your brain. In fact, sometimes that kind of uninterrupted break is the most productive thing you can do. This is one of the most interesting things about daydreaming. When you use daydreaming to allow your thoughts to flow freely on pleasant things it activates the same sophisticated brain regions that are active when you are solving puzzles that require executive logic as well as the creativity network in your brain that elicits insight. The two work simultaneously to form significant connections across your brain’s network. With daydreaming it is as if your brain is presenting you with a magical road to follow so that you can access information that may have been out of reach or dormant. In fact, early research indicates that mind-wandering helps with aha types of problem-solving. In those quiet moments you can gain insight, new ideas and solve problems.
You don’t need an excuse for daydreaming; it is actually part of human nature. Research on the subject of reverie is still fairly young, but scientists agree that we spend an astonishing eight minutes of every hour daydreaming. We can spend 30% - 50% of our time in reverie. That means that in the time it takes for you to read this article your mind will for 13% of the total time. Our human brains are simply not designed for working hard for long hours or maintaining nonstop focus and productivity. You may not take a relaxation break, but your brain does. You may not even recognize when your brain defaults to a bout of daydreaming as a kind of coping strategy or defense mechanism. You have probably experienced moments when you suddenly realize how to solve a problem. That was your mind automatically taking you to the default zones and down that magical road to insight.
It is healthy to daydream or let your mind wander. You can and should, in fact, focus energy and practice daydreaming exercises to be in this state. This means that when you face a conundrum or setback, instead of spending arduous hours trying to solve it, do the opposite. Let your mind wander. Use intentional daydreaming as a tool.
Focused and Mindful
In the focused and mindful state you are fully present, your attention focused solely on what you are doing. Whether you are having a difficult conversation with a customer, responding to an email, or delivering a high-stakes presentation you have enhanced focus and mindful awareness. The mindful aspect of this state involves intention and conscious direction of awareness on what is occurring in the present moment as opposed to operating on auto-pilot. You have enhanced focus which means that while you are aware of your thoughts you are less reactive to them which allows you to stay on track and stay sharp. You have the ability to concentrate on what you’re doing in the moment, while having the awareness to recognize and release unnecessary distractions as they arise and make a conscious choice about what to do next. Your mindful state helps you avoid poor decisions. The ability to maintain a mindful state of concentration is every bit as important as technical or management skills. That kind of focus is why mindfulness is a valued attribute among elite athletes and fighter pilots.
Flow State
Flow state is the most focused psychological state in which your brain works differently than the other three mind states. Flow opens vast reservoirs of resourcefulness, creativity, and energy. It is the perfect mental zone, where action, awareness and enjoyment merge. The activity floods your body with positive neurotransmitters and hormones that elevate your sense of well-being. In flow you are so fully immersed in the activity you don’t think about hunger, comfort, boredom, or time. Everything flows so seamlessly, you do not even realize how your energized concentration stretched your intelligence, skills, and emotional capabilities to the maximum. Full engagement gives you such a sense of confidence and personal control over the activity, you are strategically aware of your progress and feel the potential to succeed.
Psychologists call it “finding flow”. Athletes call it “being in the zone”. Musicians are in “a state of flow”. Gardeners are “in tune with nature”. Software programmers are “wired in”. Stock market traders are “in the pipe”. Pokers players “play the A-game”. Artists call it “the muse”. What they have in common is two-fold. First they know what needs to be done and how well they are doing. Second, whether they reach their goal or not, is not important – whatever produces that flow, the “high” of the experience, becomes its own reward. All these people derive happiness from personal development and growth to do it again and again.
The flow state is not one you can control. You cannot even aim for flow until you can give your undivided attention to sustain the “focused and mindful” state.
Please note that there is a difference between positive engagement where you use signature strenghts to focus and and negative hyper-focus, where you spend so much time on an activity it has a potentially negative effect. Two examples of hyper-focus can occur when a person plays video games or binge watches television shows and gets side-tracked to the detriment of other important aspects of their well-being.
You can choose to change your behaviours and environment so you can focus your attention to not to be in the reactive state. For example, you can switching to a daydreaming state or a mindful zone that requires deep work, especially if your aim is to achieve flow.
Where to Start
Multitaskers think they are effective
than is actually the case. Science shows that trying to multitask is inefficient and less productive. Your ability to focus on one thing
at a time proves to have a more direct advantage.
You are smarter than you think, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Intelligence reveals itself in so many ways that you are often not aware of the ways in which you display intelligence through your diversity of strengths.
In working smart, time is not the problem. Distractions - even small ones - are the culprit. Use undivided attention strategies to limit or eliminate them, so you can use energies more meaningfully and productively.
Working smart is the ability to having better judgment and control as much as you can. Choice is the most powerful control you have in life. You can use choice wisely to protect your focus and time with one of these attention management strategies.
If you are a diligent or passionate about what you do, you may find your workday blurs into your home life and you could forget to clock out. Burnout is real. Working smart requires firm boundaries between your personal and professional time.
Do you know how to overcome those times when you lack enthusiasm for a task? Did you know that motivation is more than desire or willpower? Pinpoint the glitch in your level of enthusiasm and use specific actions to boost your motivation.
