5 Tips to Stay Focused at Work During a Personal Crisis

5 Tips to Stay Focused at Work During a Personal Crisis

 A personal crisis could strike any person at any time, and it doesn’t matter how stable or happy your life might otherwise be – the effects can be devastating. A personal crisis will be on your mind almost constantly, no matter how much you might want a break from it. You are also likely to take the problem to work with you no matter how hard you try to put on a brave face.

No matter how hard you might try to get your work done, it can be all but impossible to prevent other thoughts from creeping in and harming your productivity. Your performance at work can begin to suffer as you lose focus, potentially causing harm to your professional life. It’s a fairly common issue, and around 47% of employees say their performance at work is sometimes affected by their personal commitments.

If your professional life also takes a hit, then things will only get worse for you, making it essential for you to remain focused at work as much as possible. You can take steps to help you maintain your productivity at work as much as possible. 

Create a Schedule

 If you’re working without a specific goal in mind, it can be easy for your thoughts to distract you. Creating a schedule will help you keep focused on your work, helping you to work towards a goal rather than just working through the motions. 

To help keep your productivity on target, consider using time tracking software like the one from PK4 Tech to monitor your time. Time tracking software will help make it easier to tell when you are being productive and help you avoid wasting time. Knowing that you’re monitoring yourself can also help you focus on your work. 

Speak With Other People

Anybody going through a personal crisis should speak with other people. Meet up with somebody close to you and explain the situation and how it affects you. Also, listen for their feedback and advice and be prepared to hear some things you may not like.

However, this doesn’t mean you should speak with everybody about your problems. When at work, it’s best to limit what you say to other people. For one thing, telling colleagues about your situation keeps your head in the issue instead of giving you a chance to focus on something else.

Treat Going to Work as an Escape

When things are difficult in your personal life, going to work can be the ideal escape. Even the journey to and from work can help give your mind a break from what is upsetting you, and your mind will become even more occupied when you have a job to do.

There is also a social aspect to working with other people, making your job a convenient getaway. You can get involved with discussions not related to your personal commitments, whether they’re work-related or not. It can also be great to arrange a social outing with work colleagues although you should be careful not to overdo it, especially if you must work the following day.

Don’t Push Yourself Hard

You’re only human, so don’t put too much work pressure on yourself if you struggle sometimes. Instead, give yourself some space occasionally and don’t be hard on yourself if your productivity does take a hit.

It may take you a bit longer than usual to perform tasks, and things won’t improve for you overnight. However, beating yourself up about it won’t improve the situation and can make matters worse. Things will likely improve after a while, but you just have to let them through your system naturally. 

Limit Personal Contact

With a personal crisis going on, some people will likely want to call you regularly to get updates. Instead, it’s a good idea to set some limits and let people know that you’re at work and need to focus on your job.

Having people call you regularly to talk about your problem will cause you to keep thinking about it and perhaps even remind you about it when your mind has taken a break for a while. Unfortunately, it will also distract you from your work, potentially upsetting management and colleagues and increasing work pressure.

Try to limit calls to urgent matters only and, if needed, limit who has access to your number. You might need to turn your mobile phone off if the calls you’re receiving is harming your productivity.

Summary

Although most people will recover in time, there is no way to take away the pain and anguish of a personal crisis. In the meantime, it is essential to look after yourself, including looking after your professional prospects.

When going through a personal crisis, it’s important to focus on your work so your job is not adversely affected to the point where work pressure also becomes difficult to cope with. But, on the other hand, you will also need to acknowledge that you’re going through a difficult time and that you should not expect yourself to be firing on all cylinders.

Give yourself breathing space and time, use time tracking software, create a schedule, and set limitations on disturbances to help keep you focused. By focusing on your work, you’re helping to ensure you’re still in great condition when your crisis finally subsides.

Photo by Ethan Sykes on Unsplash

Youth activism – how gen Z has real power to influence the future!

Youth activism – how gen Z has real power to influence the future!

I watched spellbound as Greta Thunberg made her powerful, moving speech to world leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit. I was struck by how young people have risen to the major challenges facing us. The last 18 months have been full of political, environmental and social change. Issues such as sexual harassment, LGBT rights, regime changes, US gun control laws, democracy movements and climate change have taken center stage. And in every single case, it’s young people who have been at the forefront of these movements. From the US to Europe and from Sudan to Hong Kong, it’s young people who have taken the leadership role.

September 20 protest

Let’s take last Friday’s Global Climate Strike as an example. In August 2018, Greta was alone in skipping class to protest climate inaction. Following her lead, young people have been walking out of school in larger numbers. It culminated in last Friday’s Global Climate Strike. Worldwide, over 4 million people in 2000 cities joined the school strike. That’s remarkable growth in just over a year. Young people have addressed both the US Congress and leaders at the United Nations Climate Summit.  This has been a spectacular month for youth activism.

Youth activism in making far-reaching changes is not new. Hermione Granger’s S.P.E.W. is a case in point 🙂 But more seriously. A look back at recent social and environmental movements prove that youth activism CAN shape the debate around climate change.

A proud history of activism

We are approaching the 60th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins where

Civil rights protest

Civil rights protest

students flouted segregation by asking to be served.  Young people played an important role throughout the American civil rights movement’s crucial points. They helped to desegregate schools, challenge racism and increase voter registration. The Vietnam War protests, the Tiananmen Square protests, the Hong Kong democracy protests, the Arab Spring and the US gun control protests are notable youth movements over the last 50 years. The common theme in these protests was that there was a single clear authority to protest against.

A tough challenge

Today’s young climate change activists face a much tougher challenge than their predecessors. How do you get change when there is no single entity that can pass the required laws and guidelines? Change will have to come from protests individually in each country.

Protest Fridays

Protest Fridays

While getting through to politicians is tough, global business leaders may be a better audience. With an estimated purchasing power of US$ 44B globally, companies are looking to tap into Gen Z’s purchasing power. And recent campaigns by young activists have succeeded in making some companies change their ways.

Young activists have used social media and digital platforms in innovative ways to connect with each other and to organize leaderless protests. Companies that want to understand how these digital natives use social media, are racing to connect with them.

As with any activism, persuading people to change is always an uphill task. But

Gandhi quote on environment

Gandhi quote on environment

the one thing that today’s youth activists have shown is their desire for a better society. Governments, corporations and ordinary people – all need to buy into tackling climate change. If the young activists can speed up this process, then more power to them! After all as Mahatma Gandhi once said “The earth, the air, the land and the water are not an inheritance from our forefathers, but on loan from our children.