Your Time Deserves My Attention

I'm a firm believer that when somebody gives you their time, you owe them your attention.

Today, I didn't live up to that.

I was in an important conversation. Slack pinged. I went off to do something else, and about five minutes went by where I wasn't fully present.

That's on me.

This is one of the things that frustrates me about virtual meetings... and today, I was the person doing it.

It's easy to think you can answer a client email, check a message, or do one quick thing on another screen while you're listening. Meanwhile, the person on the other end is still giving you their time.

I expect people to be present when I'm talking with them. I need to hold myself to that same standard.

It's one of the reasons I love meeting in person. I find it easier to lock in and really be with somebody. With multiple screens and multiple computers around me all day, I've made it pretty easy for my attention to wander during a virtual meeting.

I already have an application that helps me block distractions. Maybe it's time I actually turn it on for meetings. Close the extra windows. Silence the pings. Give the conversation the attention it deserves.

Having the tool doesn't help much if I don't use it.

I made a mistake today. I need to own it and reset.

So what do you do to stay present during meetings? How do you keep that Slack message or client email from pulling you away while somebody is giving you their time?