Being present mentally allows you to live a fulfilling life both professionally and personally. Focusing on the now and preventing your mind from thinking about the future or dwelling on the past enhances communication, decision making and performance.  In Football for instance, how detrimental is it if an offensive team mate zones out and misses the snap count given from the quarterback during the Huddle? This type of diversion could ultimately cost the team the game or season.  Comparatively, how negatively is a company affected if a directive is given by a supervisor and not heard or followed through by a direct report. To win and perform exceptionally, you must focus on the task at hand and literally, get your head in the game!

 Follow these tips to focus on the task at hand:

 1. Eliminate Distractions
Although cell phones are a modern-day necessity, they can be a distraction during professional and social interactions.  When in meetings or eating dinner with loved ones, I try to place my phone on silent and face it upside down to eliminate interruptions.  Unfortunately, it ultimately calls to me and I find myself picking it up and checking it periodically. To combat this distraction and be present, I’ve enforced a tech-free dinner policy and now collect the cell phones before sitting down to share a meal. Those device free dinners are always the best and allows us to bond as a family by focusing on each other instead of checking the next snap chat or text message. Recently, my daughter participated in a play and they required all cast members to place their phones in cell phone jail during each rehearsal.  This forced them to interact and create real- life social experiences, while working together to achieve a common goal.

2. Stay on Track
Self-awareness is extremely important to holding your focus.  It’s important to be in tune with your thoughts so that you can realign them if you find your mind drifting. If you start to have distracting thoughts, acknowledge that it’s happening and train your mind to focus on the here and now. Additionally, avoid multitasking when possible and complete one task at a time to improve productivity.  Researchers suggest that multitasking can reduce productivity by as much as 40%, so keep your thoughts stationary and focus on one task at a time.

 3. Relax Your Mind
Understanding your peak times of performance is critical.  I’m definitely a morning person and usually hit the ground running when starting my day. However, once night falls I like to unwind and let go of the stresses from the day. As a Planet Beach owner and consumer, I love to unwind in one of the relaxing automated spa services or catch a HOTWORX session, which is the newest infrared sauna workout.  These services help to relax and rejuvenate my mind and body so that I can be on my A game during working hours.

Remember that life is a journey, not a destination.  Although it’s human nature to experience nostalgia and hang on to the memories of the past as well as plan for the future, it’s so important to savor every moment and live for the now.  To do this effectively, eliminate distractions, be aware of your drifting thoughts and take the needed time to relax your mind so that you can focus on the present.  “Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.”

Written By: Jodie Mateu, VP of Special Events & Productivity, and Franchisee