加入公司時，要弄清楚這公司是如何做決策的

當你加入一個組織的時候，你有一個短暫的時間來適應它的文化。工作文化的一個最重要的方面是如何做出決策。你的新公司是否偏向於行動，或者偏向於分析和共識？

在前者的組織中，決策很快，注意力的跨度往往是有限的。如果你正在推動這些公司的主動權，那麼清楚地陳述你的立場，並向利益相關者提供他們需要做出決策的資訊。

其他公司文化傾向於對可選項目、模型和策略進行更長期的討論。在這些公司中，你可能需要發送資料和分析，甚至可能在做出決策之前再做幾次簡報。

一旦你瞭解了你的新組織是如何運作的，想想你自己的喜好，以及你是如何去適應文化的。

When Joining a Company, Figure Out How Decisions Are Made

When you join an organization, you have a short window of time to adapt to its culture. And one of the most important aspects of a work culture is how decisions are made. Does your new company have a bias for action, or a bias for analysis and consensus?

In organizations with the former, decisions are made quickly and attention spans tend to be limited. If you’re pushing for an initiative in these companies, present your position clearly and give stakeholders the information they need to make a decision.

Other company cultures prefer a more protracted discussion of options, models, and strategies. In these companies you’ll likely need to send around materials and analyses, and perhaps even redo a presentation several times, before a decision is made.

Once you understand how your new organization works, think about your own preferences and how they fit with the culture. 

用“if – then”來改變你的行為

我們都有我們希望改變的習慣和行為。但是僅僅意識到一個壞習慣是不够的。

要真正解决這個問題，首先要考慮你的目標（比如，“我希望我的團隊知道我信任他們”），以及你期望面對的障礙（“我努力給予授權”）。

下一步，框架好你會遇到什麼障礙，然後再擬定你的“如果- 那麼（if - then）”聲明。舉例來說，為了解决代表團的障礙，你可以告訴自己：“如果我對自己沒有完成這項工作感到不安，那麼我會在下一個團隊會議上要求更新它。”最後，提示（如果“If”部分）和動作之間的聯系。（Then）會變得足够强大，幫助你改變你的反應。

通過使用if - then語句，你可以思考什麼會妨礙你的工作，並製定一個計畫來克服它。

Use If-Then Thinking to Change Your Behavior

We all have habits and behaviors we wish we could change. But just being aware of a bad habit isn’t enough.

To truly fix it, start by considering your goal (say, “I want my team to know that I trust them”) and the obstacles you expect to face along the way (“I struggle to delegate”).

Next, frame what you will do about the obstacles as if-then statements. To address the delegation obstacle, for example, you could tell yourself: “If I start to feel uncomfortable about not completing the work myself, then I’ll ask for updates on it in our next team meeting.” Eventually the link between the cue (the “if” part of the statement) and the action (the “then”) will become strong enough to help you change how you react.

By using if-then statements, you can think through what will get in your way and make a plan to overcome it. 

要應付分心，重新訓練你的大腦

集中注意力是很難的，把責任歸咎於我們周圍的不斷分散注意力是很容易的。但是試圖擺脫分心是不足以解决問題的。我們還必須重新訓練大腦集中注意力。

例如，當你的工作被電子郵件打斷時，真正的問題不是電子郵件，而是被拴在收件箱裏，你每隔幾分鐘就會有一次中斷。

為了幫助你的大腦重新學習以集中精力，嘗試“單任務”：只在電腦荧幕上打開一個視窗，或者一次專注於一個任務。

同時，注意你的注意力偏離了方向，然後輕輕地引導你回到你正在做的事情。

如果你在做一些有意義的工作時想到一些重要的事情，把它記在記事本上，然後再回過頭來。

練習這樣的注意力管理將建立你的“注意力肌肉”，這將給你更多的能力去控制分心。

To Deal with Distractions, Retrain Your Brain to Focus

Focusing is hard — and blaming that on the constant distractions around us is easy. But trying to get rid of distractions isn’t enough to fix the problem. We also have to retrain our brains to concentrate.

For example, when your work is interrupted by email, the real issue isn’t email; it’s that being tethered to your inbox makes you expect an interruption every few minutes.

To help your brain relearn to focus, try “single-tasking”: Open only one window on your computer screen, or give your full attention to a single task at a time.

Also, practice noticing when your attention veers off course and then gently guiding it back to what you’re doing.

If you think of something important while you’re doing focused work, jot it down on a notepad and come back to it later.

Practicing attention management like this will build your “attention muscle,” which will give you greater control over distractions.