The feeling of being out of control can be very detrimental to not only your productivity and effectiveness but also your health and wellbeing. Being in control helps you to be at your best, performing the way you want to perform and achieving success. There are many ways to create a positive focus and stay in control. Here are some examples of effective ways to help you stay in control:
Help Yourself
Losing control is often linked to feelings of helplessness. Be more organised and systematic. Make plans and provisions for deviations. Keep a check on your emotions and when things get on top of you, give yourself a “time out” to re-evaluate, recharge and reboot.
Acknowledge there are some things beyond our control. We can manage our own input and how we react to situations, but often we cannot exert any more influence than that. Accepting this can be a positive way to detach.
Plan Ahead
Write down and prioritise anything and everything that you need to do and keep updating it with new tasks. Prioritise your tasks into urgent and non-urgent ones and set realistic deadlines. Above all, keep in mind your strengths and delegate tasks that are not your strengths. Understand what you can realistically achieve in one day. A simple process like this, combined with some discipline, will make a big difference to your mindset and productivity.
Set Appropriate Expectation levels
Many people make the mistake of setting the expectation levels of themselves or others far too high. By doing this they are setting themselves up for failure because they won’t be able to meet those expectations. Knowing that you cannot achieve something is quickly going to lead to negative feelings and being out of control.
Use Technology
Keep things as simple as possible and one of the ways to simplify things could be to use technology to help you. Are there tools and software that can help you stay organised, stay connected, be more efficient and be quicker? If there is, then why not use it? Of course, tools are only as effective as the person using them, so make sure you have adopted the right mindset and implemented the best processes before you resort to these.
Change your Surroundings
The environment is a key factor in improving focus. The more comfortable your work environment is, the greater your ability to concentrate. Try purposefully changing your location during a long day, for example, switching from your office to a hot desk may help to introduce a new impetus to your work.
Remove Distractions
It sounds obvious, but removing and avoiding as many distractions as possible, is one of the best ways to improve your focus. It’s astounding how personal issues can creep into your work zone. Adopt Digital ‘Do Not Disturb’, by turning off your mobile phone, closing your emails and chat programs with the intention of dealing with them later.
Plan around your energy levels
Take regular exercise and eat a healthy diet. Learn how to control your energy levels and know when you’re at your best, whether it is early morning or late at night when you have peace and quiet. Do your hardest tasks when you’re most alert and the less intensive tasks later on in the day when you have less drive.
