INTERVIEW: So much of our work these days is, it’s cognitive, right? It’s thinking, it’s planning, it’s focusing, it’s problem solving. It’s all cognitive. So if we want to improve performance, and the performance is being driven by the brain, we really need to understand how the brain works. And when we do that, we can start to make some small changes to the way we organise our day, our work, the tools and the environments around us to really take our performance to the next level.

Imagine if we were able to radically improve the internal efficiency of your business? Where would the results show up? Would it impact your margin? Would it affect staff morale and engagement? Would it give you the confidence to be able to double down on executing your strategies? One of the most overlooked and under-utilised areas of the performance pyramid is focus, or staff’s ability to concentrate.

Focus is what cognitive scientists refer to as a core cognitive function. It’s core to most cognitive processing. It’s core to almost everything we do, and its core to our business performance as well. Yet ironically, in a modern busy world, focus has become a scarce resource. If you’re going to reclaim focus for yourself or for your business, our research suggests that there are four key areas you need to address.

Scientists have identified that our focus is actually programmed to be easily distracted by the things in our environment. This can be incredibly useful when detecting a saber-toothed Tiger in the bushes, but incredibly destructive when we’re trying to focus on our work in a busy office environment. In fact, researchers have identified that the constant stream of interruptions in the modern workplace decreases our productivity on average by 27%.

Cognitive scientists have shown us that the little voice in your head will distract you more than anything else in your environment. So to truly reclaim our focus, we need to delve inwards. Does your mind frequently wander? You’re not alone. A plethora of studies have shown that despite our best intentions, our mind wanders for about 50% of the day, and up to 70% of the time we’re at work. For over half the week staff are effectively daydreaming instead of focusing on their work. Is there a way you could reel in their wandering minds? Is it possible to improve our attention span?

Could you provide your staff with food that fuels focus rather than the standard sugary snacks which flood the brain with glucose and lead to the cognitive crash?

Does the quality and quantity of your sleep impact your ability to concentrate? Neuroscientists have shown that if we don’t get enough sleep, our cognitive capabilities decline, and toxins build up in our brain. So, does your organisation help staff prioritise and optimise sleep?

What about exercise? It supercharges our neurochemistry; it helps us grow new brain cells and the connections between them. It’s one of the most effective ways to improve mental performance. What is your organisation doing to help your staff move more?

Planning, prioritisation procrastination, these forces are constantly battling against each other. Neuroscientists have proven that despite having perfect long-term plans, our brain’s reward circuitry is wired to guide our focus and behaviour to things which deliver short term pleasure. Are the tools and processes at your organisation effective at helping staff consistently stay focused on what matters most over time?

Most people in most businesses get less than an hour of focus per week. What would it mean for your business if every employee could tap into their full potential of their focus wherever it was needed? What would you be able to achieve?