Don’t Leak Your Life-Manage Your Distractions

I wage a war against distractions every day. Many days I think I win and some days I know I lose.

This afternoon, I took out my phone to look at my calendar, and the next thing I knew, I was scrolling through 24 unread messages on my college chat group. By the time I was done checking on the last funny video posted, I had leaked 20 minutes off my day.

On days when I am unaware and unconscious of what I am doing, I would probably be doing this about a dozen times a day. Ten minutes here, twenty minutes there, time slips by.

Distractions are like leaks in a bucket. They leak our focus, efficiency, and productivity.

Don’t let distractions leak your life away.

Develop the power of awareness to know when you are in the clutches of distraction.

There is a compulsiveness that resides inside us at all times. The compulsion to get to the phone to check on notifications when we wake up. The compulsiveness to daydream and be lost in thoughts. The compulsiveness to forget the stress of responsibility by distracting ourselves.

Your awareness is like a spotlight that shines bright and exposes any distraction before it takes hold. It will help you control your compulsive nature and keep you from getting distracted.

I am not suggesting that you should defeat distractions. I am just suggesting that you develop the awareness that helps you consciously choose when you wish to get distracted, instead of your distractions, hijacking you unconsciously.