Staying in the moment is one the most powerful things an improv comedy performer can do. It is also one of the most amazing things you can do to be more connected and more effective in any task or endeavor.

In improv comedy, a performer is constantly creating things on the spot. To an outside observer, it may appear that brilliant improvisers start a scene with a clear idea of where everything is going to go, and then they get there. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Great improvisers start their scenes, and they may have an idea of where things are going, but they are absolutely willing to abandon their ideas and flow. If they are doing their jobs right, they pretty much have to do this.

The only way they can do this effectively is by staying in the moment. That is, it is fine to have an idea of where things are headed, but the only thing you really have is the present, so you have to make the most of it.

What exactly does staying in the moment mean? It means that you don’t dwell on the past, or stress over the future. It means that when you are doing a task, you put all of your attention on the task at hand. If you are writing, you shut off all distractions and write. You also clear your head of other ideas, priorities, etc. If you are speaking with someone, you stop thinking about what happened earlier, or what you have to get done later. If you are exercising, you focus on the workout and not on how you have to finish soon to get back to work.

While this sounds simple and obvious, it is extremely hard for most people. In this world, we are all always looking for the next thing we have to do, or thinking way too much about a past event.

Oddly enough, we tend to think that by stressing about the past or future that we are somehow “dealing” with it. It is as if by giving it our attention, we are working on it. This is why some people stress over everything, and make tension where there doesn’t need to be any (you know who you are!). Many people have the fear that if we put our problems out of our heads temporarily, that we are somehow being negligent.

The reverse is actually true. By staying in the moment and putting your attention on whatever it is you are doing, you are making yourself more efficient and effective. When you focus 100%, you will get more done then if you split your focus. This means that you will get your tasks done in less time, and therefore have more time later to focus on other things.

Have you ever been overwhelmed; where you have multiple high-stress things to handle? The challenge in these cases is that when you tackle one high-stress item your mind reminds you how, by taking care of this one thing, you are neglecting all the other important things in your life. In this instance, the desire to “shut down” can be strong. This is a natural reaction, but it is also the worst one!

You must remind yourself that you can only effectively do one thing at a time. Pick the one that is the most important, and commit to focusing on it 100%, even though it means other things will not get done. The way to get out of that feeling of being overwhelmed isn’t to do everything at once, but rather to get things done systematically, one at a time.

In relationships, this can be looked at as the difference between quality and quantity. Some people spend the entire evening, every evening, with their families, and yet they still feel disconnected. Others are very busy and can only squeak out an hour or so, and yet they end up being very connected. This is because what you do and how involved you are, is as important as how much total time you spend. Five hours in the same room as someone, sitting and watching TV, is going to be less effective than 30 minutes of a real conversation.

The next you get overwhelmed and find your mind starting to wander, remind yourself to breath, clear your head, and focus all of your thoughts and energy on the here and now - it's all you have anyway!

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This article is an excerpt from Avish's book, "Improvise to Success!" To learn about the whole book, visit http://www.AvishParashar.com/store.asp

Avish Parashar is a dynamic professional speaker who shows organizations and individuals how to get what they want using the Art and Science of improv comedy. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated!

For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.com

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