Distractions are robbing you of valuable time and productivity. Focus has never been more important—yet harder to attain. Consider all the ways distractions are attacking you at home, school or work. Recognize these dangers and learn to control your attention.
Do these scenarios describe your life? Upon waking in the morning, you turn on your phone to check emails and ten minutes pass. You decide to check Facebook and Twitter and thirty minutes are gone. Not to mention the funny YouTube video and others that pop up on the side. Before you know it, your morning has passed and you have accomplished nothing; you have been robbed!
The #1 skill to stop distractions in life is learning to control your attention!
Your attention is a valuable asset and what captures your attention controls your life. Many leaders are busy being busy. In reality, they are underachieving. Each one of you has so much potential! The sad truth is most people do not realize their potential because of distraction.
How do you begin making a change? Start by conducting an audit of how you currently spend your time. Identify distractions and gaps in time where you are unproductive.
- Do you stay on your phone constantly? Did you know the average adult sends over 100 text messages each day?
- Do you check social media sites throughout the day? The average person spends up to 2 hours a day on social media sites.
- Do you sit on the couch and watch TV every evening? The average American watches up to five hours of TV every day.
HOW CAN YOU STOP BEING ROBBED BY DISTRACTION?
Organize Your Day
Begin your day with 15 minutes devoted to gathering your thoughts and prioritizing what you need to get done. Define your Top 3 – (Three most important priorities of the day.)
Email Check
Do not check your email all throughout the day. Add email items to your task list or set specific times to check your email and respond accordingly (example: first thing in the morning, after lunch and before you leave work for the day).
Get Lost
Do you have that co-worker who stops by your office to chat and thirty minutes pass? Does your phone demand your attention with constant messages, texts, notifications, etc.? Shut your door, silence your phone, and turn off notifications. Stop making yourself available to distractions.
Try the 2 Minute Rule
Entrepreneur Steve Olenski says to implement the “two-minute rule” by completing any task that comes up if it can be done in two minutes or less. Knocking off these tasks immediately can take less time than making a note to come back to them later in the day.
Declutter
Prepare a clean, uncluttered space to accomplish a task. Don’t consider yourself a “messy” person. Rather understand you have made a habit of being messy and change it!
Focus
Stick to a task until it is complete. Multitasking has been proven to make you lose time and productivity. According to a Harvard Study, 46.9% of our day our minds are wandering or distracted. Practice the 360 Laser: 3 times a day, block 60 minutes of uninterrupted super-focused time.
Goals
Identify your goals and make them your priority throughout the day. Push distracting thoughts out of your head by reminding yourself what you are supposed to be doing.
Take Breaks
Take a short break for a few minutes if you are having difficulty focusing. Work hard for 60 minutes and take a ten-minute break to refocus. It is also a good idea to eat lunch away from your desk. Even if you don’t leave work, eat lunch at another spot in your office. You will return from your break and be ready to work.
You control your calendar. You control your schedule. You make the choice to STOP BEING ROBBED!
