How to Stay Focused in Meetings
Staying focused in meetings is a daily struggle. These tips will help you stay on track.
The wheel is spinning, but the hamster is dead.
We all know that.
You’re in a meeting. It’s your fifth or sixth or seventh (!) in a row that day.
And then suddenly…
Click…
Autopilot: ON
The lights are on, but the pilot is asleep in the back. You don’t feel awkward in that moment, but you will in a second.
Make no mistake, being able to focus helps us succeed. It helps us get the right work done. Yet, it’s increasingly challenging, especially in a corporate environment where meetings just keep piling up to eternity.
Psychologist Michael Lipson discovered that we can learn to sharpen our focus by understanding the patterns of losing it. In short, we must know how we lose our focus.
Two skills define a mindful mind – focus and awareness. Focus is our ability to concentrate on this thing, right now. Awareness is our ability to notice that we’ve lost focus and be at ease with it. Only then can we bring our mind back to focus.
But let’s be practical. What to do when in a meeting?
Keep each other present. The collective genius comes when everyone in the room is fully present. It’s each team member’s responsibility to bring the best of themselves and make sure the rest do the same. When you notice a lapse, just say: “Should we slow down or repeat that?”
Do a little mindfulness exercise. Take two minutes before the meeting to focus on your breath. Or you can even start the meeting with two minutes of silence so that everyone in the room can attune to this particular meeting. If you can, finish the meeting five minutes before the hour so that everyone has a bit of time to rest.
Don’t plan seven meetings for one day. It’s a creativity killer.
But wait…
Maybe you don’t have to be in this meeting. What if you just leave?