Welcome back, everyone. This week’s newsletter will explore things you can do to remain focused when life events work to distract you. I would guess that you have all had some kind of life crisis that has, in one way or another, completely derailed you from the direction that you wanted to be going. So when these situations arise, what can you do to get back on track and do what you want to do?
I will be writing about that this week. Below, you will find ten things that you can start or continue doing to get you back on track or to keep you on track in the direction that you want your life to go. If you are interested in finding out more, please stick with me as I prepare to take a step toward becoming positively improved.
What is a distraction?
Distractions come from both external and internal sources. External distractions include factors such as visual triggers, social interactions, music, text messages, and phone calls. Internal distractions include hunger, fatigue, illness, worrying, and daydreaming.
Regarding life distractions, we refer to things such as drama at home, extreme adversity between you and your partner, added stress, or more demands on the job—any of which could distract you from what you think is most important.
Ten things you can try to avoid or reduce distractions
1. Set smaller and clearly defined goals –
goal setting can be rather challenging when it is unclear what you would like to do. It is vital that you know exactly what you would like to accomplish and then plan out the step-by-step method for achieving said goal.
2. Use visual reminders –
When life gets hectic and crazy, remembering everything that needs to be done can be rather hard. This is where visual reminders can be handy and helpful, whether an object in clear view of your workstation, notes left on the reference, or alarmed reminders on your phone.
3. Practice meditation –
It is no secret at this point that meditation helps to focus the mind. Thus, if you are easily distracted by things around you, I would invite you to meditate for at least 15 minutes daily.
4. Remove physical clutter –
I am not sure about you, but I find clutter or seeing messiness while I am trying to focus on the work I do rather distracting. So, it is strongly encouraged that you keep your working environment clean to reduce any potential distractions.
5. Take breaks as needed –
When needed, take breaks several times throughout the day—Now, most places of employment will give you varying scheduled breaks throughout the day, but when you are self-employed or when you are a full-time caretaker, it can be hard to remember to take time for yourself. Yet it is just as important that you take some time for yourself; otherwise, you will start to burn out, and then you will be less able to serve others as you would like to or need to.
6. Set your priorities –
Now, this one is big; if you do not set your priorities, then you might get some of the important tasks done or done within the time frame that was required to be done. It is very important to do the truly important things first, and then the less vital things can be done when everything else is done. A good example would be if you have a work project due at 8 am tomorrow morning but want to shower and relax. In this case, you would finish the work project and reward yourself with a hot shower and a good movie afterward.
7. Complete one task at a time –
doing more than one thing at a time can be very distracting. When you are distracted, things can get missed, or you can get frustrated, and nothing will get done at all. It is a practice to do one thing at a time and do things at your pace so they get done correctly.
8. Get plenty of sleep –
Again, I am sure everyone reading this understands just how important getting plenty of sleep is, yet it is mentioned as many times as possible as so many of us still struggle in this area due to the consistent demands of our daily lives. What is important to remember here is that you can function at your total capacity if you are not in tip-top shape, and you need 6 to 8 hours of sleep.
9. Use headphones or a quiet environment –
It is always best to work in a quiet environment, especially if you are easily distracted. However, if you are anything like me, you love your music, and listening to it will help you focus on the task in front of you much better than being in a quiet environment would. If this is the case, then plug into headphones and get to work.
10. Reward yourself when you complete tasks –
So many of us forget to do this. I know that I tend to forget to reward myself for the good jobs I do each day, and we all need those little rewards to feel appreciated.
Final thoughts –
So here we are again at the end of another newsletter. The ten ways, I hope, have given you some ideas for remaining more focused in your present moments and on the events that need your attention.
It is important to understand that you may not have any control over the events in your life, but you do have control over how you handle these events and how much of a distraction they will be to you. If you find life more distracting than it should be and you are having a hard time getting anything done, I would invite you to try any of the steps above to get you back on the right track.
If you know anyone who could use this information, please share it with them. Please reach out if you would like to share some of your thoughts on this topic. Thank you all for supporting my work and for sticking around as I took this step toward becoming positively improved. Until next week, Namaste.
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