I don’t know about you but this week I’ve had a challenging time focusing on my priorities. Of course I could just blame it on Mercury retrograde, but I won’t, so here’s how it’s been. I start my day with my plan of action in place but I’ll make the crucial error of checking my e-mail first thing and then whoops, it’s down the Internet rabbit hole I’ve gone. You know the scenario. There’s a highlighted link you’re enticed to click on. It seems worth checking out, so you follow that trail which inevitably leads to another offer and another. It’s a virtual pin ball game with your attention darting from one piece of information to a video tutorial to an educational podcast to a relevant report to . . .
You get the picture. And before long, the day has dwindled away and neither you nor I have accomplished the very tasks we actually planned to attend to. It’s essentially crazy making. It truly is Internet induced attention deficit disorder. Granted, our attention is constantly being lured, seduced, pulled, and yanked whether we’re on line or off. But the temptation is multiplied exponentially when we’re on line. Keeping your eye on the prize – on your priorities – is tested virtually second by second.
You get the picture. And before long, the day has dwindled away and neither you nor I have accomplished the very tasks we actually planned to attend to. It’s essentially crazy making. It truly is Internet induced attention deficit disorder. Granted, our attention is constantly being lured, seduced, pulled, and yanked whether we’re on line or off. But the temptation is multiplied exponentially when we’re on line. Keeping your eye on the prize – on your priorities – is tested virtually second by second.
So here are some thoughts on how to stay focused in an attention grabbing universe – on line or off. First, set your priorities. Knowing what you want to focus on is critical. Then, do that task or project first. Begin your major task of the day before you consciously or unconsciously invite distractions your way. This optimizes the likelihood that you’ll accomplish your most important task and tend to it with concentrated effort.
Second, set a specific time of day when you’ll do things like check e-mail, listen to phone messages, and read your snail mail. Third, set a time limit for how long you’ll read e-mails and how long you’ll allow yourself to wander the net. Set your alarm or schedule alerts so you know when to stop. And fourth – stop when the alarm or alert sounds. No cheating.
Time is one of the basic foundations of our lives. Existentially speaking, we never know how much of it we’ve got left, so focus on what matters most – your priorities.
Please share your thoughts and comments below. What helps you stay focused in a distracting world?
Second, set a specific time of day when you’ll do things like check e-mail, listen to phone messages, and read your snail mail. Third, set a time limit for how long you’ll read e-mails and how long you’ll allow yourself to wander the net. Set your alarm or schedule alerts so you know when to stop. And fourth – stop when the alarm or alert sounds. No cheating.
Time is one of the basic foundations of our lives. Existentially speaking, we never know how much of it we’ve got left, so focus on what matters most – your priorities.
Please share your thoughts and comments below. What helps you stay focused in a distracting world?
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