I’ve got to get this out. And I know I’m not alone. You’re probably right here beside me. Getting distracted by too many choices.
We live in a society of abundance. More like overabundance. When we go to the store, there are so many options and freeze with indecisiveness. Last time I went to the store and wanted to buy a micro-brew, I was faced with over 100 options. How could I pick just one? It was tough to narrow the field.
Recently several studies have concluded that having too many choices decreases our ability to make decisions.
Perhaps you’re familiar with this problem. Perhaps you have too many options right now. Too many projects. Too many emails. Too many tasks on the honey-do list. It quickly gets overwhelming.
This week during my morning reading I came across this passage:
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind…A double minded man is inconstant in all his ways. James 1:6b,8 (Douay Rheims)
It stopped me dead in my tracks. Abundant choices leave us wavering and tossed about. We are constantly looking for the next great thing. We think we’ve finally captured happiness when something new catches our eye, and we are left less happy than when we began. Our double mind distracts us from what’s important.
We can only serve one master. You have to ask yourself, “Who do I serve.” My employer? My spouse? My customers? My god? My kids? My self? My…
The only two ways to overcome the distraction of too many choices are:
- Focus on priorities, and
- Say “no” to interruptions and anything that is not a clear “hell yes!”
Focus on what matters most and complete only the tasks that will bring us closer to our goals and the people we’re committed to. That’s why I created the Mission Mindset Productivity Pack to help people get clear on what matters most and develop a plan to take action.
This week I challenge you to say “no” to a proposal or offer and focus the additional time on your most important project, goal, or commitment.
[reminder]Have you overcome the distraction of too many choices? How did you do it?[/reminder]
