Distraction v Disruption

“He who chases two rabbits catches neither.”

~ Proverb attributed to multiple sources

The attached infographic paints a vivid picture. We have many pressures in our lives, and each one often demands our full attention. Yet we have a tendency to believe we can focus on multiple things at once. Much research has been conducted and proven that multi-tasking is a myth. But it’s tough sometimes to move through the noise and focus on what we are doing in the moment. How do we win with focus? As one of our customers says, how do we “Be here now”?

One suggestion:  Many of our HOP (Human and Organizational Performance) tools help us with focus. How? By disrupting our tendency to multi-task and enter auto-pilot brain. For example, a pre-job brief helps us leave the outside world behind and focus on the present-day goals. An STA card helps us focus on our immediate task, the risks of that task, and our plan to eliminate or mitigate those risks. A two-minute drill helps us regain focus after a break. A STOP event helps us regain focus when something does not look right or when something has changed. A post-job review helps us focus on task completion and learning to improve for the next time.

So, I encourage you to use the HOP tools as disruptions to our human brain’s tendency to multi-task and auto-pilot. They are defensive tools to fight distraction and be focused on the present. STOP & Focus … Be here now.

“Great performance is not the absence of errors. . . it’s the presence of defenses.”

~ Todd Conklin

- APM President, Jake Locklear