Habit Breakthrough + NEW Focus Tool
A simple tool to help you focus today
What has your organisation got booked in for World Mental Health Day in October? NEW sessions to support all staff for WMHD; Focus Masterclass, Hybrid Team Check In and Navigate Negative Thoughts. Contact susan@tinypause.co.uk for a 10% discount for all sessions booked before 10th September.
Everyone finds it hard to focus sometimes.
Unfortunately for many of us it's actually getting harder rather than easier.
31% are interrupted by a digital notification every 15 minutes, totalling around 160 distractions per day - Data
Over the last four months I've been doing lots of research on how to create new habits. This led to two breakthroughs;
An effective way to reduce self criticism and increase confidence is to create a new tiny habit
Motivation is an unreliable method to create new habits, what matters more is simplicity and an effective prompt
As part of this research I had a brainwave.
How can we create some effective prompts to help people focus?
So I built one. A simple tool to help you focus. To convert the intention into action. Available any time of day whenever we need to get stuff done.
Test it here - access will close on Friday 5th September.
Like to use it for longer? Do the 1 minute feedback here. If 50 people or more do the feedback by this date then I’ll make the tool available for everyone for 14 days.
My short term plan; iron out any bugs and finesse its usability.
Medium term plan; organisations to licence the tool for their staff on a yearly basis to support productivity in hybrid teams.
On average, workers lose 2.1 hours per day due to preventable interruptions - Data
How to use the Next Step Focus Tool;
Notice you need to get something done or want to focus
Answer the question ‘What do you need to focus on?’ no personal details required
Implement your chosen small commitments immediately into your calendar/ diary/ spreadsheet, whatever tool you use for focus and productivity
Use as often as required.
How does the tool work?
I’ve programmed the tool to use a behavioural response model, distilled from therapeutic and resilience techniques. It’s designed to help with a common challenge: how to find a useful next step when we feel hijacked by emotion, low mood, or dwindling motivation.
Acknowledge our situation
Get another perspective, reframe our options
Plan a useful next step
Reassure us that it's normal to find things challenging
The Focus Tool makes it simple (I think) for everyone to do the above. I hope that it can help people focus a little more. In my experience it only takes one hour of focus to feel like I’m making progress with an important task. Reducing self criticism and alleviating stress in the process. If the focus tool only helps you achieve 1 extra hour of focus a week then I will call it a success. That’s potentially 52 hours of focus a year! Enough to write a book, complete a project or get that thing off your to-do list.
“Concentration is the secret of strength.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
You are a good person doing your best. That’s the most each of us can do.
This week I enjoyed:
The Washing Machine Project - what a great idea! - here
Bristol dad's isolating desk job led him to hold survival races - here
Need a hand? Feel alone? Don’t wait, contact someone today. You deserve support as much as anyone else. You are not alone. Reply to this message if that’s easiest.
Text Shout - 85258 - simple support via text, I used when I wasn't sure who to turn to
Call Samaritans 116 123 - no problem too small, I've used a couple of times, once during a relationship break up, once when one of my family said they were suicidal and I wasn't sure who to ask for help
NHS Every Mind Matters - simple and effective resources you can access immediately here