Deal with Distractions
We all know that distractions are everywhere. With the way things are today, it feels really good to wake up in the morning, go to your email or maybe go to Facebook. We discount the future gains, meaning we want the immediate reward when given the choice between now or later. So, it probably feels a lot better in the long run to finish that research paper, but when you have emails popping up there, for some reason, we go towards that even though we know by doing what we need to get done is going to make us feel better.
The first thing would be is to get control of that. Get control of all the things that you are focusing on. Maybe even make a list of those things that are taking up time your day. I guarantee you if you’re anything like me, email and social media will be a big part of that, and those are not the priorities. So, it’s definitely something to put lower on the list.
Also, don’t underestimate how much you can get done in fifteen minutes. That’s all you need, fifteen minutes. You have fifteen minutes when you’re waiting in a doctor’s office for an appointment. You have fifteen minutes when you’re waiting to pick up your kids from school.
You have fifteen minutes when maybe you had a conference call that’s running a little late and you’re waiting. Take those fifteen minutes and take the opportunity. Maybe bring along envelopes to be addressed, or whatever you can think of that needs to get done. Set a timer and just tackle a dreaded task, because if you just give yourself the mindset, “You know what…I really need to clean my office, I really need to clean out my closet, but the thought of me spending my whole afternoon doing it just I dread it.” Maybe could you put a timer on and just do it for fifteen minutes? Change the way you approach it. It’s not so much a chore. Think, “I have the opportunity to do this again,” rather than, “Do I have to do this again?” Set small goals, small timeframes, and it’ll be a lot easier to tackle.