The Restless Leadership Epidemic: Causes and Cures

When I'm restless, I often feel like I need to do something, but I'm not sure what. So I do whatever grabs my attention first, but even then it's hard to concentrate on the task at hand and I get distracted by the next thing I see or remember and go and do that. It's exhausting, and I feel like I'm not getting anything done. I speak with many leaders who feel the same way. The restlessness comes out, particularly when they're stressed or anxious — we’re like headless chickens running around frantically!

By Karin Holley October 2023

The Scattering Phenomenon

What drives this restless scattering? Sometimes we avoid important but difficult issues by preoccupying ourselves with smaller tasks. We often compare ourselves to others and feel pressure to match their activity. Leaders may also feel that they need to appear busy all the time. Shiny new projects distract us from our priorities. Overflowing to-do lists overwhelm us. We react rather than respond.

As a society, we face many forces that promote restlessness and lack of focus. Our phones, apps, social media, news, emails, alerts, videos, etc. We are driven to distraction in ways that previous generations have never experienced. We pump caffeine and sugar, and skimp on sleep just to keep going. For many leaders, their stress levels are chronically high. All these things are absolutely terrible for our attention spans and many of us, including our children, suffer from this lack of focus. It affects our ability to be creative, to solve problems, to analyse, to reflect, and even to be kind and empathetic to others.

These issues need to be addressed at a societal level. But while we wait - or become advocates - for change, we need to mitigate these problems NOW, in our own lives.

The big question is, what can we do?

1. Frenetic Activity vs. Productive Work

To begin with, it is essential to recognise the difference between frenetic activity and productive work. Being constantly 'busy' often produces haste and mistakes rather than excellence.

2. The Art of Slowing Down

Second, slow down. This will feel uncomfortable at first. Your brain will yell at you to keep moving - it's addicted to the fast pace. If you need to, move, go for a walk, a run, kickboxing, yoga, whatever you need to do to get rid of the adrenaline and stress that has built up in your body. Then see if you can slow down afterwards, maybe read a book, daydream, doodle, journal, bake, play with your dog.

3. Retraining Your Mind

Third, retrain your mind to focus fully on one task at a time. If you find your mind wandering, gently bring it back to the present. Take sensory breaks - observe something attentively for two minutes. These small steps add up. With patient practice, you can regain focus in the midst of chaos.

4. Prioritizing Health

Fourth, eat nutritious food and prioritize restful sleep. These healthy habits are not to be underestimated! They're a key part of staying focused.

Strengthening Mental Fitness

Just as physical health requires care, mental fitness requires intention. With practice and persistence, we can strengthen the resilience of our minds. Then we can direct our energy towards achievement, undistracted, one task at a time. Mental fitness requires diligence, but the rewards are immense.

Congratulations!

If you've made it to the end of this article, congratulations! You have managed to read a 'long' article without getting distracted. I hope it was worth it!