Distraction is the enemy of productivity. It keeps us from living out our priorities, our purpose, and achieving our potential.
The #1 problem facing my readers is “dealing with life’s daily distractions.”
Each… and… every… day… we have so much going on. We are overbooked and overworked with no system to determine where to spend our time and energy. To add insult to injury, there are hundreds of distractions lurking in the corners.
So, why is it that we get so distracted?
Why do we struggle to focus on what’s important?
There are THREE ENEMIES ready to ambush at any moment…
- Fear of missing out
- Avoidance
- Interruptions
[callout]Are you ready to fight and defeat these enemies? Learn the 5 step-by-step tactics in my book Destroy Your Distractions[/callout]
Each of these enemies haunts us day-after-day leading to motivation loss, fatigue, discouragement, and low self-esteem.
Now let’s get into the tactics and psychology to fight distraction where it lives.
Enemy #1 – Fear of Missing Out
If you’re like me, you’ve been sucked into the vortex that is the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
I’ll assume that you were lucky enough to get out alive since you’re reading this.
Information is constantly attacking from every direction. It’s too easy to get distracted. There is so much going on and not enough time to take it all in. It’s hard to decipher what’s actually important and what just doesn’t matter.
With so much information, we feel like we have to know everything or we’ll be left out. We don’t want to look like an idiot next time our buddies comment on the game or the latest headlines. That’s just humiliating.
We take on every project in the hopes that we can impress our boss and build our resume.
The truth is…fear of missing out leads to burnout. We spend too much time trying to please everyone, when in reality we lack focus and self-control. We say we don’t have time for what really matters and we begin to lose hope.
But whatever you do, don’t lose hope!
The action steps I’ll share over the next few weeks will give you step-by-step tactics to stop this fear in its tracks. You’ll sleep happy knowing you don’t have to know and do everything.
Enemy #2 – Avoidance
This enemy comes in two major forms: procrastination and dwindling motivation.
Procrastination
When was the last time you put off a project until later just because you simply “didn’t feel like doing it?”
Don’t kid yourself. It was within the last week, huh?
For me, it it’s today. Writing this line. But, I’m doing it anyway. Am I something special? I like to think so, but I’m just a normal guy.
It’s totally reasonable and natural to put things off. Time feels endless.
Cut it to the core and you’ll find that procrastination is simply avoidance in disguise.
It’s hard to focus on only one project. It’s difficult to look at a HUGE task list feeling that it can never be completed. You’ve felt it…it’s overwhelming. So, you put it off for longer.
If a task seems too big, too pointless, or you just dread the thought of doing it, you’ll stay as far away from it as possible. That is, until the deadline is staring you in the face and you’re forced to take action.
Everyone knows that procrastination hurts, but we do it anyway. We trade fun now for work later.
We get distracted by family, social media, television, internet browsing. Even insignificant tasks trick us into thinking we are being productive.
We seek anything that will give us the sense that we’re still working, when in reality we aren’t making any progress.
You probably won’t be able to end procrastination. But I can help you track this enemy, know its movements, and be able to defend against its attacks.[shareable cite=”Robby Miles”]Procrastination is simply avoidance in disguise.[/shareable]
Dwindling Motivation
Have you ever started something strong and motivated only to lose steam and give up without reaching your goal? We’ve all been there. Maybe it’s in our nature.
It’s the third quarter slump. We don’t see the giant gains like we did at the beginning. We try to work even harder to achieve even minor progress.
Unforeseen obstacles get in our way. And sometimes, we don’t have the energy to keep moving forward.
Missions succeed or fail based on the actions taken in this moment. This is where we prove to others and ourselves that we have what it takes to overcome challenges and drive forward.
Time to quit avoiding the hard things and assault the enemy.
Enemy #3 – Interruptions
Knock, Knock…
Who’s there?
Interrupting Cow
Interrupting Cow Wh…
MOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Sorry for the elementary school joke, but it had to happen. How else can I interrupt someone reading a blog?
There are two types of interruptions we deal with on a regular basis: people and notifications.
I have four kids and it constantly seems like one of them needs my attention immediately. Sometimes they do. Other times…it’s not an emergency.
Maybe you work in a busy office and have that coworker who is constantly asking for your advice or help on a project. Maybe that email “ding” is haunting you when you finally get to work.
Do you ever wish you were able to block out everything and focus on your work?
It seems like every time I finally get a chance to work on my projects, something distracts me. Email notifications, phone calls, and instant messages sabotage time. Wherever I am interruptions haunt me.
With the right tactics, interruptions can be managed and the distractions diminished. Are you ready to stop the enemy in it’s path? Check out my book Destroy Your Distractions: Five Step-By-Step Tactics to Fight & Defeat Productivity’s Biggest Enemies.
[reminder]What other enemies of productivity are just waiting to attack your mission?[/reminder]
