As my team prepares to launch the new America’s Healthcare Leaders (AHL) membership site, we are fortunate to receive the insight of many top-level CEOs and executives in our exclusive interviews. It is our desire to share this insight with the current and future healthcare community to benefit them in their pursuit of success. It is my belief that the most successful people never stop learning, which is why I want to continually share what I have learned with others.
This week, Becker’s Hospital Review posted an article written by Erin Marshall, featuring an interview with Rosanna Morris, interim CEO of Nebraska Medicine. This interview had many wonderful insights, but the one that struck me as being essential to success is the need to stay focused.
In a world developing new technologies every day, and with countless ways to be distracted, it is essential to stay focused.
The Importance of Staying Focused
Effectiveness and efficiency in the workplace are a growing struggle many leadership teams face. Not only do leaders need to make sure their teams are able to stay focused, they need to remain focused themselves. My amazing team is made up of telecommuters who fight the daily struggle to stay focused while working from home. They do this by setting clear goals and persistently focusing on the task at hand. By keeping this focus, they are able to accomplish more and feel more productive in their jobs.
3 Tips for Staying Focused
Here are three basic tips for staying focused to achieve greater success while at the workplace—no matter where that may be:
- Set Goals. Goals should follow specific criteria in order for them to be effective. There is a popular acronym for goal setting known as SMARTER; goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-framed, exciting, and reviewed. Keep this in mind when setting your goals.
- Remove Obstacles. No matter where you work, there will be certain obstacles you can’t remove; however, remove the ones you can. Put your phone in a drawer, turn off automatic notifications, utilize full screen mode on your computer to reduce desktop distractions, or simply find an environment that leads to higher productivity. My favorite places to work outside my home are the gym or Starbucks, where I find I can stay focused and remain on task.
- Allocate Your Time Wisely. Finally, you need to allocate your time wisely. If you plan to work and remain focused for 8 hours straight, you most likely will not achieve this goal. Instead, plan to work for 3 hours and then take a 15-minute break. During this break, take a brisk walk or have a snack. You can even allow a quick peek at your mobile device to see what you have missed in the last 3 hours. When the 15 minutes are up, get back to work feeling refreshed. When you allocate time for breaks, you are more likely to use them wisely and be more productive when you get back to work.
There are many more ways to stay focused on work, and I am curious to hear about some of yours. As mentioned before, one of the best ways to learn is from others who have had success in these areas. So what are ways you remain focused and keep your team on target?
