If you are reading this on your phone, how many people around you are also looking at their phones? If it's on your computer, how many other windows do you have open at the same time? We have become addicted to information, not because we need it but because our brains have been trained to want it. The term FOMO is now used to describe this craving - Fear Of Missing Out. I'm not saying there's something wrong with monitoring Facebook, but how is it affecting your performance?

Research has shown that if you spend an hour in a highly stimulated atmosphere, like a meeting with people to work on a complex problem, when you leave that meeting your brain will still be operating at the same level for another hour - even if you are just trying to read a book. We use the term decompress for a reason.

The ability to focus is key to decision-making, whether it is long term planning or solving an immediate problem. Focus brings perspective, the ability to see the relative importance of options. Mindfulness is the absence of FOMO, it's the ability to focus on the present - what's important instead of what's urgent, the facts and not the fears.

Try to set aside a half hour every day without distractions to achieve a state of mindfulness. It can increase your focus and decrease your stress. Would that be helpful?