Seven Steps to Eliminate Distractions

There is so much happening in the world today. There is a lot out there to distract you. Like many of us today, you may be finding it hard to stay focused on your goals. The news is vying for your attention with its scaremongering stories. It's incredibly easy to fall into the trap of endless mindless scrolling and passive attention. Or you fall prey to your procrastination. The average adult wastes three entire hours a day procrastinating, devoting energy to mundane tasks of avoidance.

Here are seven essential steps for avoiding overwhelm and staying on track no matter what else is happening around you so you can achieve your life goals and live a life that truly makes you happy.

First Things First

Probably the most important lesson I've learned is to identify the most important task of the day and work on that FIRST. No matter what. It may be a big task that will take up a large portion of the day. Other smaller tasks will need to wait and perhaps will remain unfinished or even untouched. So be it.

Start by making a list each morning of all the tasks you want to address that day. Sort them into a table. Along the x-axis of your table are two boxes - important and not important. Along the y-axis urgent and not urgent. Sort all your tasks into those four boxes. Work first on tasks that are both urgent and important. Next on the important and non-urgent tasks. Anything that is not important, you should cross off your list or move to the very end of the day. This way you make sure not matter how your day went, no matter what the distractions, you will have devoted your precious attention and energy first and foremost to the things that matter. As we all know, most tasks take longer than planned. It is very likely you will never be able to attend to all your tasks of the day. The ones that get neglected or don't make it into your schedule are then the ones that were no so important.

If you procrastinate each day by tending to a multitude of miniscule tasks that are on the lower end of the importance scale, you may end up with being very efficient, however in the wrong area of your life, working diligently on tasks that do nothing to bring you towards achieving your primary goal in life. That is why so many people who make this mistake look back on their day in the evening, totally frazzled, unable to identify what they had done that day. Their energy was wasted on dozens of mundane actions, directed in a dozen different directions.

Keep the Momentum: Small Steps Towards Big Goals

Sometimes it is easy to get overwhelmed by the greatness of the task you have set out for yourself. If you think only of the summit you need to climb, you may find it daunting. In order to keep your momentum, take baby steps. Imagine the journey towards your goal as a winding staircase. You only need to see the next three or four steps and those you need to give your full attention. The rest will reveal themselves in time, bit by bit, step by step.

The metaphor of the tortoise that beat the hare is very true. Small consistent regular steps in the right direction mean so much more that frantic spurts of energy at random intervals. Consistency, persistence and determination are the ultimate cornerstones of success in any area.

Hone your Mindset

If you don't already, incorporate meditation and visualisation into your daily routine, it will keep you focused on your goals and eliminate the monkey chatter of your mind. If you don't control your thoughts, your thoughts will run away with you. Passive aimless thought makes you vulnerable to the whims of the world and gravitates naturally towards fear and anxiety.

Replace destructive empty thought with constructive affirming thoughts that you choose to feed actively to your mind. Succeed in doing one single thing and it will completely transform your life. Thought impacts your emotions which in turn determine your actions.

Take ownership of your thoughts = take ownership of your life.

Stop Media Overload, Stay Empowered

The news is designed to alarm us, scare us, suck up our attention. With everything that is happening in the world we can easily be left feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and helpless. This is a distorted view and completely disempowering. Not the right frame of mind for getting things done. Do yourself some good and manage the time you devote to the news. Step away from the screen, tune out, switch off, silence the notifications. Choose to engage with the news at a particular time of the day only and for a predefined length of time. And stick to it. As a result you will feel more optimistic and empowered and your performance will be so much stronger. What's most important, you will act from a more positive frame of mind and your work will show it.

We may feel anxious and helpless to do anything about big global issues such as climate change, child poverty, ending hunger. Instead focus your attention on areas in your life you can influence: your family, your job, your local community, your health and your goals. The more you can become a better happier version of yourself, the bigger the positive impact you will have on others and your environment.

Cut Yourself Some Slack

If the distraction you are facing is of a personal nature i.e. you are dealing with a marriage crises, with the illness of a loved one, you have lost your job or your business is failing, this hits much closer to home. Such crises demand a lot from us in terms of energy. During such times it necessary to cut yourself the necessary slack and take time to heal and recuperate. It may be, you will need to put your project and goals on hold while you gather yourself, realign your vision and adjust to the new situation.

At this time, it is important to not be hard on yourself and not expect too much too soon. Setting small realistic goals and meeting them will keep the momentum going. Aim to high, you will overextend yourself and will feel frustrated and depleted. When the going gets tough, baby steps in the right direction are the right course of action and will keep you on track.

Do Less, Ask for Help

Liberate yourself from non-vital commitments. We all have 24 hours to the day. Our time is limited and the way we manage this scarce resource is crucial. We cannot do more in one area without doing less in another. There are many ways to becoming more efficient. It's so simple and yet often overlooked: One of the easiest ways to free up your time and get more done is to stop doing certain things. Say you need to drive your kids to their football practice every other day. Perhaps you can share this task with other parents. Perhaps you can save time on your weekly shopping by ordering online. Perhaps you can divide household chores up so that each person in the household has a weekly schedule to keep to and that way more predictability. Perhaps you can jog or cycle to work instead of chipping away at your free time with unnecessary hours at the gym each week.

For those of us who are chaotic, impulsive and creative with their routines, and thus easily distracted, an extra 15 minutes every Monday spent planning the week ahead will potentially save you hours and hours in unnecessary distractions and impromptu decision-making.

A coach or mentor may also be a good way to keep yourself committed to progress. This does not need to be a professional. You can share your ideas with a trusted friend, colleague, neighbour, your spouse. Anyone who will make you feel committed to your plan. Someone you can check in with at regular intervals, someone you will answer to and who can give you valuable feedback.

The main message here is, you don't need to do it all alone. Ask for help. Let go. Delegate. Share. Reach out.

Put Yourself First, Fill Your Energy Tank

Last but not least, take care of yourself! Boost your energy and your sense of vitality. It sounds like such a cliche and you've probably heard it a thousand times. But, as my favourite saying goes: You don't know shit if you don't act like it.

You know what you have to do: get enough sleep, exercise a little each day, stretch your muscles for 5 minutes in the evening, spend more time in nature, meditate for 10 minutes each morning, pay attention to your relationships, eat well. All this will leave you feeling rejuvenated, it will boost your immunity and give you the power you need to stay healthy and strong and more able to get things done.

Homework:

If you've been finding it difficult to focus on your goals lately, identify one small action you will take TODAY towards liberating yourself from distraction. Write it down and share with a friend. Sharing your commitments publicly will make them feel more binding and will increase your chances of success.

Getting brighter every day.

Junkie4change