How fitting that my morning meditation today was focused on “Deep Work” just as the annual LMA conference is about to kick off. With a thousand plus old and new friends, and friends I have yet to meet, converging in my favorite town, it is easy to get distracted from conversation, as well as education.

The concept of Deep Work, which I googled and I suppose I should order the book, is about giving yourself distraction-free time during the day to focus on one thing, achieving peak productivity.

So, as we all head down to registration and off to the pre-Con workshops, try some “Deep Work:”

• Put the phone down while you’re having dinner/drinks/beignets and focus on the person standing in front of you
• Active listen in conversations and in sessions
• Stay off the Internet while you’re in your session (unless you’re live Tweeting, which is how I take notes … but I don’t have to read the other threads or participate in Twitter-chat, check my e-mail, or Facebook notifications)

And, most importantly:

• Block specific times each day for checking in at work so that you can focus on your LMA experience

This conference is super fun, and we’re in my favorite U.S. city, but it’s also about connecting with people, deepening relationships, educational content, filling up so we can go back to where we’re from ready to take on the world! If you spend the whole conference focused on what is going on at home (personally or professionally), you will miss out on why you are here.

I’m sure the book has more tips, such as at work, give yourself an hour or so a couple times a day for Deep Work. Shut your door. Turn off your phone. Close your browsers. Focus on the work at hand. But I haven’t read the book — yet — so I’ll just leave it right here for now.