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De-focusing

25 september 2020

We heard Mark Rutte say again in the press conference of september 28: work at home again as much as possible in the coming weeks. That can have its advantages: no travel time, organize your own time and more often at home for your children. But there are also disadvantages. Your not really ergonomic workplace at the dining table causes you neck, shoulder and back problems. You lack social contact with your colleagues. and one of the biggest disadvantages, according to research, is the disturbed work-life balance. That is normally a challenge for many people, but when you work at home every day it turns out that taking a break and rest becomes even more difficult. You often sit at your computer in the evening. Your concentration is far to be found with children walking around you, the dog that is already(?) must be let out or the courier who rings your doorbell for a package for the neighbors. And you always don't get to your schedule. That causes stress and frustration. The place you found at home after work to unwind has become a place of turmoil. And with winter on the doorstep, you sit inside more often, which gives you even less space in your body and your head.

Overstimulation poses an additional challenge on top of that work-life balance: in the last thirty years we have been overloaded daily with more stimuli than ever before (media, information, social) and our brains have to process all that. According to GZ psychologist Marijke Vink, we have to go back to the human dimension and set strict limits: after all, it is better to take the gas back when you are not yet overstimulated than when you have to because of a burnout. As many as 1 in 8 Dutch people have not put on the brakes on time and are walking around with burnout complaints.

What about you? Do you know where your limits are? Do you take time for rest when you are overstimulated?

Recently I read the book FOCUS by neuropsychologist Mark Tigchelaar in two days. Compared to the eighties, according to Mark, we read the equivalent of 174 newspapers a day! We do not want to fall behind and voluntarily or not absorb all the information with which we are bombarded on a daily basis. I could use some focus management too! I realized that when I quickly sent a Whatsapp message while typing a business email because I had to wait just a little too long in the ordering process of some bottles of oil for my massage treatments…

Mark also points out that our brains are not made to focus for ten hours a day. According to him, it is not about time management, as many employers ask of their employees, but about focus management. Where are your focus priorities? And did you know that De-focusing is perhaps even more important than focusing?

It's hard to break habits (because they are) and realize where your focus is. And where your focus should not be. Or when you just don't need to focus at all. Because De-focusing creates more inner peace in your head and your body, so you are better able to focus!

I have a few De-Focus tips for you so that you can find your balance (again), even when the circumstances demand a little more from you than you love:

Create different places in the house for different activities: a separate workplace and a separate place to relax, for example. Over time, you build up a specific energy there. So don't take your laptop to bed and your phone to your yoga mat.
Make a clear week and day schedule. Stick to fixed working hours as much as possible and build enough breaks. To-do lists provide overview and clarity, setting priorities helps you focus. And also communicate those working hours to your roommates when you work from home!
Make a clear week and day schedule. Stick to fixed working hours as much as possible and build enough breaks. To-do lists provide overview and clarity, setting priorities helps you focus. And also communicate those working hours to your roommates when you work from home!
Make a clear week and day schedule. Stick to fixed working hours as much as possible and build enough breaks. To-do lists provide overview and clarity, setting priorities helps you focus. And also communicate those working hours to your roommates when you work from home!
On average, our brain can concentrate for up to forty minutes. Does this also apply to you? Then, for example, take a break of fifteen minutes every forty-five minutes to de-focus on a different place than your workplace.
Or, for example, Ring a bell on your phone every so often and take five minutes to intensely nourish all your senses with (sun)light, fresh air, inspiring images such as forest, garden or water, smells( essential oils), taste( something to drink or snack), touch and movement ((self-)massage, stretching exercises or with your bare feet in the grass) or sound (your favorite music).
Start your day with twenty minutes of silence. Meditate. This works well for your focus.
Start or end your day with walking, exercising, or yoga.
Find your Flow. When your focus is right, you get into flow and you develop more fulfillment.
Stop looking at your computer screen at night. Leave your work in your workplace.
Do self-care. The better you take care of yourself, the more you can be present for others.
View productivity in a mindful way. How do you achieve more with less (in) tension? Continue to breathe calmly through your resistance. Feel that you are ‘present’ in the moment and pay attention to what you are doing.
Have self-compassion. Notice how you talk to yourself; Are you constantly grumbling at yourself for not meeting your own requirements? Seek help where needed. Take silence when you've been too busy.
Make time for real life. That is anything but a screen: a good conversation, a massage, a concert or a walk in nature.
Step out of your role (S) and do something completely different! Soon, for example, I will follow an acrylic paint pouring workshop!