Find solitude to maintain focus

Tip Sheet

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Mike Erwin, co-author of “Lead Yourself First,” writes about solitude as a necessity to maintaining focus in a highly politicized world overloaded with information and driven by multitasking.

Erwin argues that finding solitude, defined in his book as “a space in which to focus one’s own thoughts without distraction and where the mind can work through a problem on its own,” can help professionals achieve a key competitive advantage – the ability to focus.

He suggests these ways to use solitude to stay focused at work:

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Schedule solitude time throughout your day

Make time for one or multiple 15-minute periods of solitude during your day. Taking a short pause between meetings and emails will help create the mental space needed to make difficult decisions and to be a better leader.

Set your priorities

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If you are in the business of producing knowledge or content, use solitude to discover the best time of your day to focus on only your work for an extended period of uninterrupted time. Prioritize that time and tell others about it so they can respect it.

Turn off online distractions

Identify your sources of distraction on the internet and take action by logging out of social media accounts and blocking distracting websites while at work.

Make time for development
opportunities

Amidst a schedule packed with both personal and professional commitments and to-do lists, incorporate various leadership development and training opportunities to learn about yourself and grow into a leader.

Say ‘no’

To prevent your to-do list from becoming too long to handle, reflect in solitude about which activities or involvements no longer serve a purpose in your life and simply eliminate them.

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