A 60-Second Tool to Improve Focus

Transitioning between meetings and tasks constantly throughout the day is taxing on our minds. It’s like a long transition edit in a film where one scene slowly fades into the other. We carry the baggage of previous tasks into our next task. I’ve been struggling with this even more since shifting to work entirely remote. At least before there was some respite in having to walk between places. A tool that I had been employing in my office life has proved to be really useful now that I’m remote and I’d like to share it.

Micro Transitional Meditation (MTM) is the fancy name I made up for the simple task of setting my intentions before each task or meeting that I shift to throughout the day. Before I begin any meeting or task I pause, close my eyes and set my intentions for the next part of day in three categories:

1. Mindset — This is where I give my brain orders on how it should function, what mode I want it to be in; i.e. — creative, focused, analytical, etc.
2. Attitude — This is where I define who I need to be: compassionate, open minded, critical, confident, engaging, etc.
3. Responsibility — This is where I define what I will own about the outcome, specifically what will I contribute, create, achieve.

Within each category I say at least one affirmation. Whether your are early, on time, or late, I promise you have 60 seconds to spare. No one will notice you missed a minute and you’ll bring a more focused and attentive self to the meeting. Here’s what it might look like in action:

Prior to joining the meeting, I close my eyes, turn off my music, take a deep breath and take 20-seconds to just enjoy the silence. Then I state my affirmations (out loud) for each category. For this example, I’m going in a session where I am leading a team in a framework.

“I will be sharp, attentive, and empathetic to my audience.”

“I will be engaging and confident.”

“I will give clear instructions, I will support them in their tasks, I will help them find an answer to their problem.”

I take one more deep breath, open my eyes and start my next meeting.

That’s it. Simple, easy to do and inspiring. Make sure to say it out loud so you can hear yourself. Just thinking about the affirmations in your mind isn’t enough, you have to speak them into existence!

I find this especially helpful when my previous meeting sucked. It doesn’t even matter why the meeting was terrible, I don’t want that negativity to infect me once I’ve left the meeting, or cause it spread to other people. Do your part to flatten the curve of negativity! We are responsible for the energy we carry, and it will do good or damage depending on how we wield it.

I’ve expanded my use of MTM to help with everyday transitions in life. Try it the second you open your eyes in the morning and set your intentions for the day. Or use it before you walk into the house after being stuck in traffic. There is very little in the world that we can control, but the energy we put into it is one thing we can.