Silencing my distracted world
I want to share with you how I got caught up in the economy of distraction and how I got myself out of it. It all began with a day recently that I completely accomplished nothing. This was an unexpected gift of FREE time that I wasted! If you own a business then you know there really isn’t free time, there is always something to do. One thing I want to point out is that I coach clients on using their time. You would think I would be able to prevent this myself! It is likely that I missed this because I was too close to the situation. On this particular day, my husband came home and in his very sweet way asked about my day. As I reflected on what I had done that day, I actually couldn’t come up with anything significant. I had spent time social media surfing, looking online for nothing in particular and looking at my 3 email accounts without actually answering them. I had even started the laundry but didn’t finish that either! I was pretty much distracted in every area of my life: prayer, work, exercise and relationships. It was time to make some changes. I needed to make distraction-free zones.
For me, a distraction-free zone is a way of setting boundaries. I can’t allow myself to get into the habit of distraction. I am sharing this with you because I know many of us are struggling with the constant bombardment of technology. It’s a huge energy drain if not managed properly.
Looking back at my overall behaviors, the struggle was in the works for awhile. I struggled with finishing basic things:
Reading through the mail
Reading a book without rereading each page once or twice Not able to watch tv without checking my phone
Surfing rather than engaging
Here is what I came up with in creating distraction-free zones.
- Refer to my goals and priorities daily. (This keeps my focus where it needs to be.)
- I turn off ALL notifications while working. (This helps me keep my train of thought.)
- At home, I work in 45-minute intervals. The 15 min breaks could be for the things that cause me to become distracted. I have put the distractions into their own little space. When working with clients, I put my phone on silent and check it once an hour. This was for the sole purpose of potential emergency contact from family members, I am a mom after all!
- I also removed APPS from my phone that didn’t contribute to my becoming a better person in any way. Bye, Bye Candy Crush!
- I encourage face to face communication as much as possible. This is my new mode of communication within my family and among my clients. Too much texting goes on any way, it is nice to practice the lost art of verbal communication,
These distraction-free zones have given me the ability to better use my time. I feel like there is more quality to what I do each day. Now that I am less distracted, my mind is sharper and my ability to complete tasks has improved dramatically.
www.organizeyouinsideandout.com is where you can find more information on living organized. Become a member of Keeping It Simple on the website, it’s for all levels of organizing know-how and ability.
Happy organizing,
Darlene Illig
