I was at an industry conference in Arizona this week, soaking up some great ideas (and some sun). This conference is the one time a year I’m a participant rather than the one speaking.
And whether I’m on the stage or in the seats, here’s what I’m noticing—so many people at events aren’t in the event. They’re in the corridors outside the meetings on their phones and laptops. They’re physically at the conference, but a wide range of demands are pulling them out of the action and back to the office.
I find it sad. They’ve paid a lot of money, traveled long distances, and left their families to, theoretically, create some much-needed time and space to reflect, connect, and course-correct. When they have to deal with a bunch of issues back home, they’re not really present in either place. They’re getting behind at work but not getting the benefit of being away.
But as Chip and Dan Heath recommend in their great book Switch, I tried to look for the opposite—the people who were fully present, not just in the sessions, but also in the time between them. Then I could try to figure out what was different.
Colleagues Who Get It
I’m sure there were many factors contributing to whether someone was an all-in person or a pulled-out person, but one that became very clear as I spoke with people was the attitudes and behaviors of the folks back home.
Some have colleagues, executive assistants, and managers who want to help them make the most of their time at the conference, while others have coworkers who are oblivious.
Some have teams that share their goal of keeping their thoughtload where it’s meant to be, and others have teams that are adding additional cognitive demands, causing new emotional burdens, and continually draining their energy reserves.
How to Lower a Colleague’s Thoughtload
If you want to be the colleague (or assistant or boss) who helps people manage their thoughtload, here are a few considerations:
- Does the person need to know this right now? Could I collect a few issues into one digest email that I send at the end of the day?
- Do they need to know at all? Could I handle this and inform them later?
- Could we have a conversation in advance about the criteria for when to involve them, so I have more confidence about what does and doesn’t merit an interruption?
- Can we agree on different communication channels based on urgency? For example, only look at emails when you’re back. Address texts on the next break. Answer any phone calls immediately.
- Have I processed my own emotional reaction to an issue before sharing it with my colleague? Would waiting a little while or talking it through with someone else prevent me from spreading the emotional reaction to my colleague while they’re trying to focus elsewhere?
- What worrisome issue could I agree to manage for them?
- Am I being mindful of their energy, and when might be a better time to make requests? Do I know their natural rhythms and whether they’d prefer to do a quick task at 7 am or 9 pm?
- Have I prioritized so that they use their energy on the most important, urgent, and essential things, rather than burning out on trivial issues and leaving nothing for the critical ones?
I’m not suggesting that you own your colleague’s effectiveness, but if we all were more mindful of how we contribute to our teammates’ thoughtload, we would have happier, healthier, and more productive teams. It might be a good topic for your next team meeting.
Ask Yourself
- Where do I want to be right now? How do I let people know?
- How can I maximize my focus and keep interruptions to a minimum?
- What could I do in advance to make interruptions less likely?
- Which of my colleagues add unnecessary burden on my thoughtload? What feedback could I give them to help them understand their impact?
- How can I offer the same kindness by not contributing unnecessarily to my colleagues’ thoughtload?