What a 5-Year Old Can Teach You About Listening and Why You Must Pay Attention

We’re told from a very young age to pay attention. From our parents. Teachers. Then bosses and gurus.  But I don’t think it means what we think it means. At least I don’t after a very smart lesson from my young friend Donovan.

 

I was sitting in the kitchen having coffee with my next-door neighbor Eileen, while her 5-year-old son Donovan, dressed courageously in his Superman costume was engaged in quite a heated debate about why he couldn’t wear his costume to school.

 

He kept inserting himself into our conversation. He was continually asking me questions:

 

“Neen do you like to play outside or in?”  OUTSIDE. “Neen, cats or dogs?” CATS! “Neen, Obi Wan or Yoda?” YODA of course!

 

Then he said, “Neen you’re not listening to me!” I replied, “YES, I AM, HONEY.” He assured me I was not, then jumped in my lap, grabbed my face in his tiny little hands, turned it towards him, and with great Superhero passion and intensity, he said the words I will never forget.

 

“‘NEEN, LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES!”

 

He was FIVE. It took a 5-year-old to remind me, that we don’t listen with our ears, we listen with our eyes, our hearts, and our souls — and I think that’s what it truly means to pay attention.

 

It’s a combination of all these things.

 

Too often, we pay attention to the to-do lists in our head.  Or we’re waiting to respond.
Or trying to work out what to say in response to someone, instead of listening intently.

 

To truly pay attention — or as Donovan says, listening with our eyes, — is being intentional. It’s holding our own agenda at bay. It’s looking someone in the eye. It’s being fully and absolutely present.

 

In that precious moment, Donovan helped me realize why it’s so important that we pay attention, and why our parents and our teachers and everyone, kept reminding us of this valuable life lesson. Intentional attention is a gift. One you give the people in your world, and one you give yourself.

 

It’s a game-changer in your relationships. From your friends and family to the people you work with, to the teams you lead, to the customers you support. Make the shift to be more INTENTIONALLY attentive. And watch as your business and life become much more AH-MAZING. Thanks Donovan!

 

Want to learn more about how ATTENTION PAYS? Give us a call today to learn how we can help your team pay attention to what REALLY matters – and how that will help your business skyrocket.

 

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Achieve Maximum Output – Learn the Best Times of Day to Pay Attention

Need to maximize output each day? Start by identifying the times of day it might be easier for your brain to make decisions, maximize output and be more productive by leveraging your undivided attention.

 

 

 

In our book Folding Time™, we share people have premium productivity work times. For morning birds you are most productive between 7 am – 1 pm, for hummingbirds you are 10.30 am – 3 pm and for night owls 2 pm – 8 pm. See there’s a really a time for everyone to focus their attention and maximize output!

 

Strategize in your most productive time – if you have decisions to make choose your most productive time. If you have a big project to do or a presentation to prepare for, choose the time your brain is most engaged.

 

Do routine activities in your least productive time – do you have maintenance type activities i.e. returning email, updating status reports that don’t require as much strategic thought? Leave those for another time of day.

 

Make your big decisions earlier in the day – Michael Breus, author of The Power of When, suggests saving big choices for one to three hours after you wake up. By then, you have shaken off any sleep inertia you might have. A study by Shai Danziger summarizes the results of 1,112 parole decisions heard over a 10 month period resulted in 65% more successfully paroled in the morning hours. Choose your best time to make important decisions.

 

Convert sales calls before the weekend and holidays – if you are working with a buyer to get decisions made on important deals consider Friday afternoons and also before major holidays. I have found the week before Thanksgiving is a great time to finalize outstanding speaking engagements for the following year and people pick up the phone on Friday afternoons. Hustle when others are relaxing.

 

We all get 1,440 minutes in a day. There is no such thing as time-management. It’s not about time management; it’s about attention management and strategizing ways to maximize output.

 

If you are a leader in your organization, provide employees an agile work environment that allows them to maximize output by working during the times of day they are able to focus most. Need ideas on how to create an effective, focused workforce? Watch this video and learn:

• How to give employees freedom to create their workday structure
• Allow employees to work in their most productive spaces and places
• Provide flexibility to employees to work during their most productive hours

 

Know your best time of day to pay attention to what really matters.

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Maximize Joy in Others Giving Attention When it Counts

 

On Air with Ella is an ah-mazing podcast full of ideas to maximize joy in life by paying attention to what matters most. An inspiration for fitness, happiness and well-being, Ella interviews many professionals and uncovers the secret to success in business and life. Listen in to our interview and subscribe to her podcast. You won’t be disappointed.

Champagne Wishes,

Neen

What’s 4’10”, Australian, fiery in pink heels? My friend Neen James, most days.

We first heard from Neen in episode 008 where she shared work/life productivity strategies from her Folding Time series with us. She’s back in this bonus episode to share more quick, actionable tips to create connections that matter, deepen our relationships, maximize joy and make the most out of the limited time that we have.

In This Episode:

• Click Here to Download the Life Balance Wheel Worksheet
• Neen’s tips for “systemized thoughtfulness” and how we can associate activities with time blocks
• Simple but powerful tips for letting people know you care – and that you’re PAYING ATTENTION! including…
  • hand written thank you notes
  • making eye contact
  • using people’s names
  • leaving notes for your loved ones
  • hanging up the phone before you walk into your home
  • “listening with your eyes”
  • weekly round-ups for your boss that promote you and your team
  • finding an accountability partner for any habit you’re trying to develop / improve
• Neen’s been happily married for 27 years. She shares some of her secrets for making it work amidst a busy lifestyle
• FREE DOWNLOAD! Get a sneak peek at Neen’s upcoming book content: Attention Pays! by Neen James

Additional Resources

• I mention (again) Gretchen Rubin‘s fabulous book “Better Than Before” for finding out what style works best for you when you’re trying to form new habits
• Want to work with Neen? She’s a powerful keynote speaker – you can learn more here
• Neen has a book coming out in 2018! For now, you can get her best strategies on NeenTV

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Meetings are a Time Suck. 10 Ways to Eliminate the Waste of Time

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/14MPLsNHTSs
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5 Strategies to Manage Email (and not let it run your day)

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/I1-qpXPwtZc
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Meetings are a Time Suck. 10 Ways to Eliminate the Waste of Time

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/14MPLsNHTSs
via CHANNEL TITLE

5 Strategies to Manage Email (and not let it run your day)

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/I1-qpXPwtZc
via CHANNEL TITLE

Stop and Give Yourself 30 – Maximize Productivity with Early Morning Focused Attention

How do you set the tone and maximize productivity at the beginning of each day? Do you give yourself space to map things out or are you more of a wing-it kind of person? I believe how you START your day, sets the intention and momentum for how the rest of the day’s will transpire. When you begin with 30-minutes of focused attention to what really matters most –  that time will pay generous dividends by the end of the day.  

 

Here are strategies maximize productivity and ensure a successful day in the first 30 minutes:

1. Turn OFF your phones. It’s all right. That magical device that is glued to hands seemingly every waking minute of the day, delivering phone calls, chats, text messages and emails at an often-alarming rate does turn off. So does the desk phone! Take 30 minutes to create space for focus. It will all be there when you turn it back on. It’s just an hour. And there’s voicemail! If it’s important, they’ll leave a message or call back.  If you want to maximize productivity – turn off your phones. 
2. Close your door. If you’ve got one. This sends a signal to your team (or your family if you are a work-from-home entrepreneur) that you are unavailable unless there is an emergency. If you are new to the practice, educate your team what procedures you want to have in place when your door is closed. Once everyone is on board that this is your time to create, get strategic, work a business plan, and map out your day, they’ll recognize the importance. Especially when they see the RESULTS.  If you are forced to work in an open environment, consider headphones. I used this technique in one organization, and people eventually got the idea that when your headphones are in, it’s the equivalent of a do-not-disturb sign.  
3. Use smart time-blocking. My recommendations? Book all meetings to start after 9.00 am. If you’ve always had early morning meetings, this might be a tough change, but if needed, can you start your “clock” an hour earlier to ensure that you have a full 30 minutes to complete your planning?  
4. Start off-site if possible.  Can you complete your 30-minute mindset and strategy session BEFORE you walk through your office doors? That way when you are actually in office – you hit the ground running. Once you’ve mastered this, teach your team. Once they’ve mastered it – your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will go through the roof. A study done by Ctrip shared that remote workers are able to complete 13.5% more than their comparable office workers. How’s that for food for thought. 
5. Quit the clutter. Seriously. Inboxes. Coffee cups. Paperwork piles. These distractions are stealing brain bandwidth and steering your attention away from streamlining your day. Out with them!  Maximize productivity by decreasing visual distractions.
6. Check off that early morning workout. If you can muster it, get your exercise out of the way first thing. Start small if you have (15-30-minute increments) but do start. You’ll feel like you’ve already checked one big daily goal off your to-do list! Cheers!  
7. Nix the gossip in the bud. Honestly, gossip is one of the biggest time, energy, and productivity drains an organization can have. We Aussies call a gossip a “flibbertigibbet”. Studies show that 39% of workers admit that gossip and workplace chat are their biggest productivity killers. Another study conducted by Equisys also shared that the average employee spends 65 hours a year gossiping in the workplace! Cull this invasive “thief” from your company if you truly want to maximize productivity.  

 

Starting your day in planning mode will help you stay focused, on track, and set the right tone for not just your day – but that of those around you. Lead by example. Pay ATTENTION to the INTENTION you set for each day. Your productivity, profitability, and bottom-line results will reflect your efforts!  

 

Want to learn more about doing more in less time? Using time more efficiently? Boosting the productivity of your team? Invite me in to share some game-changing strategies, or take a look at my book Folding Time for more inspiration!

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