8 steps to protect your focus (when you return from Labor Day or any vacation)

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I’ve heard this multiple times this week.”I’m returning from vacation and I’m overwhelmed.”or”My husband is on his solo vacation. I’ve got the kids and I’m overwhelmed.”

or

“I have a new baby and work is overwhelming.”

Systems help me navigate tough times.

And help me cut through the overwhelm

8 ideas:

1. Minimize Distractions

This is harder with kids. Could you hire someone to watch the kids for 2-4 hours and be hyperefficient with your work.Put your OOO on, saying you are working on a project. This CEO had a savage one.Put your phone in another room.Turn off all notifications on your desktop.It’s impossible to produce quality work if your attention is being pulled in a million different directions.

2. Do one thing at a time

When I was in France this summer, I wanted to actually SEE FRANCE. Not do what I do in New York, which is sit at my desk from 8am to 8pm.

I would write down the top 3 THINGS I had to get done that day.

The brain loves 3’s.Must have

Nice to have

Personal item, like laundryMultitasking is a myth. You lose 20 minutes of productivity each time you task-switch.

3. Take 20 min of quiet time

When you are already overwhelmed, this feels like a time suck, but stay with me.

I learned this from Trevor Blake, who created and sold 2 $100MM biopharma companies. He authored the book “Three Simple Steps.”Your brain generates new neurons in 20 minutes. Those neurons have no memory of what has happened to you before. You come to all of your tasks with a fresh arsenal of decision making power. It compounds over time.Stillness is a superpower.

4. Dump everything out on paper

The brain is a terrible place to store your to-do list.Get it out of your body. Dump it on a sheet of paper.I like to use a 11x17 sketch pad.Rather than sit in the overwhelm, start putting the name of the best person to do the task next to it.Delegate. Don’t hoard.

5. Be present

It’s impossible to concentrate when your mind is: • In the past• Worrying about the futureTo produce quality work, you must be present and focused on the task.There is no more powerful moment in the world, than the present.

6. Take Breaks

You just returned from expansiveness, discovery, NEW. Be gentle with yourself.This was a hard one for me too, but I’ve trained myself to get up from my desk and sit in the sun for 15 minutes. I write a letter to myself while on vacation, capturing the feeling of a moment.

I like to reread it when I’m sitting in the sun, to keep the vacation feelings.It’s like plugging me into the light socket. I get recharged. Our brains can't handle constant stimulation.Take a walk, have a coffee, or call a friend.When you return, the productivity will come naturally.

7. Exercise

Exercise doesn’t have to be a whole ordeal.James Clear puts his running shoes by the door. It’s a simple system that helps cut down on the decision fatigue when he has to silo time to work out.I have a jump rope from my boxing days. I’ll do 10 minutes during a break just to get my heart rate up.

8. Focus on your food intake

Chances are—-on vacation you have been eating out —and not healthy.Eating carbs are easy to consume, but raise your serotonin levels and make you want to take a nap.

I keep Brazil nuts, almonds, string cheese (fats and protein) near my desk to snack on.

I use grocery delivery service Instacart and program grocery delivery to arrive when I return. It’s one less thing to worry about.

Food is medicine.

I’m currently enrolling for the 2025 Class of the Samita Lab Mastermind

It culminates in a TEDx talk on stage and a retreat in Corfu, Greece in 2025. I only enroll for this program once a year.

Incentives and discounts for committing by Sept 15th.

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