Mindless and Rabbit-Trail Distractions that Steal your Attention

I recently presented at WATS 2015 (World Airline Training Symposium Conference) for the fifth consecutive year. I enjoy hearing the challenges of others in our industry. My presentation on distractions struck a chord with so many attendees, and the feedback I received reinforced how often we allow mental distractions to infiltrate our thoughts. I thought I would expand on my presentation here.

To begin, let’s be sure we define distraction the same way. It’s a person, situation or object that prevents you from focusing your attention towards one activity, or extreme agitation of the mind and emotions. The second part of that definition, the ‘extreme agitation of the mind,’ is the critical piece; that agitation fuels itself and has the potential to turn you from a rationally-thinking director to an irrationally-acting reactor. These disconcerting thoughts dictate your subsequent behaviors, which others in your flight department will witness. They, in turn, will judge you on your behaviors, not on what caused those behaviors. They believe what they see and draw their own conclusions immediately.

Here is a crucial question for you to contemplate: Are you aware of when you are distracted? I am talking about in the moments that your thoughts have strayed, those times when your thoughts wander away from your present environment.

Two areas of distractions

Visual and Physical Distractions

Visual distractions are the obvious ones — you notice something moving in your peripheral vision and you turn your head to get a better look at it. You see something that does not look quite right so you stop what you are doing to take a closer look. The moving object distracts your attention towards it and away from your task. You might attract the attention of others and bring them along with you, thereby disrupting both their productivity and yours.

Instinctively shifting your focus to examine the cause of a visual distraction is a survival mechanism. Something moves. It could be a predator or another threat, and your attention snaps immediately to that object to assess the threat level. We joke about the ‘bright and shiny object’ or even ‘squirrel!’ All joking aside, your brain is wired to notice and inspect irregularities in your environment.

The physical distractions we encounter can be sore muscles, scratched safety glasses, a workplace that is too hot or too cold or too windy or not breezy enough. You could be at a site other than your hangar and not familiar with the layout, or your tools might not be where you usually have them. Your desk could be littered with white papers and you have no place to put your most important work. How do any of those situations pull your attention away from your task?

Mental Distractions

These distractions are perhaps the most deadly, have the potential to cause the most damage, and conceivably represent your principal safety hazard. These are also one of NBAA’s Safety Committee’s top safety focus areas of 2015 (see http://www.nbaa.org/ops/safety/top-safety-focus-areas/2015/). Mental distractions can be addressed by two separate, yet interlocking questions:

Question 1:

Do you notice when your thoughts have strayed? Many of my clients tell me they are not aware (in the moment) when they are thinking about something other than what is in front of them. Pause a moment and consider how many times have you been startled back into reality by something or someone else — whether it be a tap on your shoulder, a face in your face, or a loud noise nearby. This can be a big problem, especially when you do not make a smooth transition to the present time. How do you react when you are shaken back to reality? Is it the startle effect? How long does it take you to regain your situation awareness? You might say, “Oh, it’s only a fraction of a second.” We all know of the disasters that can occur in that split second.

Question 2:

The followup and equally important question is, “What distracts you?”Is it reliving arguments, conversations that did not go the way you intended? Do you assume, read ulterior motives into words, actions and e-mails? Are you distracted by taking things personally? (Look for that topic in an upcoming article.) If so, your challenge is to overcome your emotional imbalance long enough for your rational brain to kick in.

Are you distracted by past or future activities like the jerk driver who cut you off? Upcoming vacation plans? Financial or family problems? Is that bordering on worry? Do time constraints and deadlines consume your thoughts? Worry and anxiety themselves are distractions. Are you missing or not seeing conditions that can lead up to maintenance errors and safety hazards?

After you have one of thosediscussions, is your team member distracted? Are they reliving the conversation, or perhaps their erroneous actions? If you micro-manage, you might be a distraction to your department. If a team member fusses or is in a sour mood, are they a distraction to others?

Are you distracted by the distractions of others? Do you take their ‘uh-huh’ as being polite yet disagreeing with you? That they don’t want to talk to you? They might be preoccupied, distracted themselves, and do not realize the distraction they are causing you.

Looking at it from a different angle: if you promote cooperation, honesty and transparency, do your actions reinforce that? If not, would you consider that a mental distraction to your department? Do you filter information and decide what is important to pass along? In other words, are you keeping secrets? (That is a topic for our next article.)

Action Steps

How can you counter complacency or avoid falling into distraction’s black hole? A keen awareness of situations that promote distractions provides a strong beginning. Is it the situation when you are performing menial and/or mindless tasks and you are mentally bored? Is it when you are working with numbers, spreadsheets and budgets? Is it when you are preparing for a meeting and one of your team members wants to discuss a problem with you? Is it because you know the other person will talk endlessly without getting to their point?

There are clear-cut steps you can take to regain control of your thoughts and your mental health.

• Talk aloud as if you were giving instructions to someone else. Because we think faster than we talk, we can use our voice to keep us mentally engaged in what we are doing.

• Along with this, think about how you could increase efficiency or change your process. Keeping your mind intellectually engaged will help keep you focused in the present.

• Shout “stop” or “I’ll think about it later.” Of course, do this only when you are alone (in your car works quite well) or if other loud noises can cover up your loud voice. This is similar to stopping your car suddenly. It alerts your brain that whatever you are thinking about is not an immediate threat and to release those thoughts.

• Give yourself five minutes to worry, then get back to work. Immerse yourself in your distraction and let your mind wander from practical to outrageous. This is best done outside your work environment; coupling it with taking a walk will expend more energy (physical, mental and emotional) and your adjustment will be faster. If, when you return to your activities, you find yourself distracted, return to the previous steps.

Conclusion

It’s easy to become distracted. Technology makes our lives easier yet offers greater opportunities for our minds to wander. Our minds jump from one thought to another, with each thought opening up a multitude of avenues to follow. Noticing your mental shift from the relevant to a mindless or conjecture state takes a conscious and diligent effort. In our industry, it is imperative that we keep an eye on our where our thoughts take us. 

Dr. Shari Frisinger a behavior analyst, works with flight departments on effectively managing thoughts and actions to maintain optimum mental health and being smart about what affects safety, productivity and morale.  Her human factors programs and consulting raise awareness of potentially disruptive or unsafe behaviors, and techniques to ease conflict and enhance safety. Dr. Shari is an NBAA PDP provider, a member of NBAA’s Safety Committee, a member of Aviation Psychology Association, and faculty teaching leadership courses. She has presented behavioral safety programs to numerous flight departments and aviation companies. For more information, visit www.ShariFrisinger.comor call 281.992.4136.