Engaging Your Focus At Work

Are we working too little, or is our work too easy–or largely pointless? In a recent New York Times op-ed, productivity consultant Chris Bailey posits that in our era of constant distraction, “Our work isn’t complex enough, and there isn’t enough of it.” While people increasingly consider busyness throughout their lives a “kind of status symbol,” Bailey suggests that we distract ourselves with mindless tasks that simply make us feel productive.

In order to increase our focus, it helps to up our own engagement. As I’ve shared previously, leaders can draw on their emotional intelligence to effectively engage employees. But employee engagement is only half the responsibility of the employer–the employee has the other half. And employees can take steps to become more motivated–for example by better aligning their work with their goals.

If you find yourself frequently bored and distracted at work, you may need to take on more challenging projects. Disengagement (one giveaway sign is boredom) is the opposite of diving into productive work. To up your engagement, one strategy might be to identify projects that excite you, but may feel slightly beyond your reach. Dive in anyway. If possible, you might work with a supervisor or mentor to learn how to get better at these stretch assignments. Bottom line: When we take on challenges that align with our abilities and interests, we feel more fulfilled and engaged by our work.

You may also find it beneficial to develop questions to ask yourself daily that align with your goals. Top executive coach Marshall Goldsmith encourages his clients to reframe questions from passive to active. This puts the initiative on you, not your environment.

For example, instead of “Do I have a best friend at work?” ask yourself “Did I do my best to build positive relationships at work?” And instead of “Have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?” ask yourself, “Have I pursued projects that align with my interests and sought opportunities for growth?” By revisiting your goals on a daily basis, and placing the responsibility for growth on yourself, you can become more invested in and passionate about your work.

Taking brief breaks throughout the day can also increase your level of resilience, particularly if you have an emotionally demanding job. Micro-breaks between tasks, which can range from a few seconds to several minutes, have recently been found to increase engagement. While this research focused on call center workers, it also applies to jobs like nurses and teachers, whose work necessitates empathy and relationship management. Taking a minute or two to regroup and clear your mind between calls, patients, or classes can make it easier to remain engaged throughout the day.

Finally, you can increase your focus for your work with attention training. Mindfulness, in which you keep returning your attention to a single focus–such as your breath or a word or phrase–serves as a mental gym. With continued daily practice you can increase your ability to focus without distraction.

There will always be factors in our environment beyond our control. Maybe you have a boss who plays favorites or a coworker who doesn’t pull their weight. But by focusing on what we can control–ourselves–we can find greater fulfillment in our work despite such difficulties.

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