How Forthrighters get our focus back
Written by zoe ALEXIS WHITEHORN
In This Blog
We’re sharing how to:
Reclaim focus with 5 productivity tips for nonprofit leaders.
Boost cognitive capacity by using focused work blocks, silencing digital notifications, and clearing browser clutter.
Prioritize true rest over scrolling and change your environment to spark creativity.
Why? Because protecting your mental energy ensures you show up sharp for your community’s advocacy mission.
I’m a mom who works remotely. I’m naturally amazing at staying focused. All day long. Every day.
Juuuuuuust kidding.
As I write this, my husband is pacing back and forth while on a call nearby. (Why? I'll never know.)
My phone is telling me that my toddler is waking up, but I don't even need the notification, because I can hear her. And there’s a breaking news alert for a 57-page report on the state of childcare that I’ll bookmark for later.
That’s a solid three times I’m taking myself out of the zone, if only for a few seconds.
Sound familiar?
WE’RE DRAINING OUR BRAIN ENERGY
We all want to do our best work. But our brains have a literal limit on how much fuel they have for deep thinking. When we’re always on, constantly distracted or simply switching tasks, we slow ourselves down and drain our energy... fast.
Sometimes, we don’t even realize we’re being distracted.
For example, research from the University of Chicago found that just having a smartphone nearby reduces our “available cognitive capacity.”
Yes. The presence of a smartphone makes us… less smart at our jobs. Just *seeing* the phone makes your brain use energy to ignore it.
That’s precious brain space we’re wasting. As child and family advocates, we don’t have that kind of energy to spare right now.
Let’s protect our headspace instead.
Here’s what to do about it
The goal here is finding ways to guard your energy so you can do the work you love well – and then log off with plenty of presence left for the people and things you love.
Here are five *very straightforward* ways to get your focus back:
Work block. At Forthright, we put literal blocks of time on our schedules to just… well? Work. During these times, we ignore all other tasks but the one we’re focused on. And the work block is sacred. We only interrupt our colleagues during these dedicated times if absolutely necessary.
Silence the bing bongs. Task- and mode-switching is TAXING. It takes us too much time to refocus after each and every ping. Instead of answering texts or emails with unnecessary immediacy, silence your chats. Sign out of Slack. Put your phone in another room. Then, set specific times throughout a day to batch your responses. Expecting a ping? You’re covered later.
Cleanse your tabs. They’re not your friends. Before you jump into a new project, go into your next meeting or start the day, close every tab unrelated to that specific task. Visual clutter 🤝 mental clutter.
Go stare at a wall. I love this one, because what a fun thing to recommend to a colleague! Scrolling is not resting. You need to reset, not hustle through. Maybe that means you stare at a blank wall for five minutes to clear up your brain fuzz. Maybe it’s walking around the block for a refresh. Just looking at nature actually helps your brain recover! Let yourself take a true break.
Bonus: Mix it up. Have an internal call where you don’t have to on your computer? Put in some headphones and go for a walk. An afternoon with no calls? Move locations to a coffee shop. Take a lunch break. Staying in the same location is literally detrimental to creative thinking. These steps will actually help you become more productive!
Advocacy requires deep, empathetic thinking. Protecting your focus makes that work possible. You’ll show up for your community with your sharpest, most present self. And you’ll feel a whole lot better doing it.
P.S. If you need help getting some of your time back so you can stay in your zone of genius, we’re here for that too. Check out how we help with Capacity Building.
About the Author: As a VP at Forthright (and a remote working mom!), Zoe has learned how to find the quiet everyday. She’s sharing her tips for real focus, which keeps us energized and truly present for our communities.
