Focus!

Focus is a topic we frequently discuss at The Liberators. It is essential when trying to solve a complex problem. I don’t mean one hour of focus, but a full day and maybe even multiple days in a row of laser focus.

Although creating the right conditions is a good start, getting into ‘the zone’ is something you can’t force. For truly complex problems, laser focus is essential. Limited focus might result in a mediocre solution (something you might not be aware of at that time) or no solution.

So far, this is mostly what Christiaan has told me. In my work, I also need moments of focus, but the complexity he’s dealing with requires a whole new dimension of focus.

From my side, I try to emphasize and offer support by:
👉 Not scheduling any calls or meetings in the middle of the day. If a call or meeting is necessary, we schedule it at the start or end of the day. 
👉 Encourage asynchronous communication (email). 
👉 Send a text message if it’s important; he can call me back whenever suits him the best

We have ups and downs, but overall, we have found a good rhythm.

In hindsight, I feel sorry for the early development teams I’ve been part of. My superpower mostly seemed to prevent any laser focus from happening 🙄. I did it with good intentions because whenever someone seemed to struggle (do deep thinking), I would offer my support, while all they needed was no disturbance 🙈.

I quickly learned when NOT to disturb developers and mostly kept my conversations to natural breaks like lunch, retrospectives, reviews, and other already-scheduled events.

What I do wonder about:
🤔 Is it even possible to get laser-focus when working in the office? 
🤔 Assuming focus isn’t optimal, what potential great ideas are lost? 
🤔 What does a lack of focus cost the organization because it results in mediocre solutions?

Some solutions I’ve heard are:

• Developers primarily work from home to focus these days without any meetings, despite maybe a quick daily startup;
• All meetings are scheduled on the same day, a day on which everyone comes to the office;
• Make clear work agreements with your team. For example, each member answers: ‘To remain focused on my work, what I need from my team is [something].’ The ‘something’ should be specific and actionable. Share the responses.

Improve ‘Work Focus’ and ‘Flow’ with Columinity

Columinity is a tool for improving teams based on scientific insights. One factor teams can measure is ‘Work Focus’ or ‘Flow’. Flow is often described as the ability of members to feel (positively) absorbed by their work.

Flow has been associated with high-performing teams (Van den Hout, Davis & Weggeman, 2016). However, the modern workplace does not always make it easy for members to focus on their work, with disruptions from emails, Slack messages, impromptu meetings, and video calls. Unfortunately, even a short disruption can break focus on a complex task and requires at least an uninterrupted 23 minutes to get back into it (Mark, Gudith & Klocke, 2008).

Strategies to start improving are…

First, the ability to focus often varies between team members. So, it is important first to explore which members struggle the most with focus. You can then explore what factors in and around the team make this challenging. For example, some members may be approached continuously with questions. Or members may have to attend many meetings, not all of which feel equally useful.

Second, pick one or two strategies to increase work focus based on the factors you discovered. One strategy is to cluster meetings and Q&A opportunities on a particular day of the week or a specific part of the day. Some research suggests that people can best focus mid-morning and mid-afternoon to schedule necessary meetings outside those blocks. Another strategy is to replace synchronous communication, such as meetings or face-to-face talks, with asynchronous communication where feasible. The advantage of asynchronous communication is that team members can pick the best time to respond and not interrupt their focus.

Third, developing the mindset in and around teams that focus is a scarce and unpredictable resource but important for high-performing teams is useful. Not everybody needs much time to focus on their work, but others do. A good starting point for conversations around the focus is identifying who benefits most and how work can be organized to optimize it.

For more details, check Columinity. Why don’t you give it a try with your team?

Closing

What is your personal experience with ‘focus’❓ How important is a focus in your work or for your team members❓ How do you help each other to focus❓