Hi there everyone! 

I’ve met with a lot of clients who are having a hard time focusing at work. They get distracted by notifications, emails from colleagues, long to-do lists. I’ve shared some resources with them about timeboxing (blocking time on your calendar for specific tasks; here’s a template from Nir and Far you can try out), working according to your body’s rhythms (morning versus evening productive time), turning off notifications, and regulating emotions (an emotional intelligence skill).

Few of us are immune to distractions or lack of focus at times. By improving your emotional intelligence, you can identify your emotions and notice when your emotions are distracting you or keeping you from your goals.

We can all improve our emotional intelligence and our focus.

Another way to improve focus is to go outside and be in nature. Feel the air, smell the soil, listen to the breeze. This type of mindfulness in nature actually gives your brain a break from the constant flurry of activity (what I call the mental hamster wheel). It gives your brain free time and during that time, you can actually be present.

When you experience the feeling of being present in nature, you notice when the to-do list creeps into your head. You notice the physical sensations that are the signs of an emotion you may not want to be feeling.

I’ve done it myself. I’ve been hiking, completely immersed, relaxed, present. At some point, I started thinking about what I needed to do later that day. After a little bit, I realized that my body felt tense, I felt uncomfortable. It was at that moment that nature grabbed my attention back to the present, with an incredible knotted tree with curves and crevices. I felt the instant switch in my physical sensations (back to a soft, not-tense feeling) and in my emotional state.

If this sounds interesting, here is a presentation I gave on emotional intelligence in nature. And if you want to try coaching in nature, reach out and schedule a Nature Roam™! I take clients into nature over the phone: me in my woods, you in yours.

Take care,
Jennifer

P.S. Please share this with a friend if you think they are also having a hard time focusing these days.