Constant Distractions

"You can't deny the force (No, you can't) | You can't deny the force (Irresistible force)" - Irresistible Force, 2 Skinnee J's

No matter how many apps, books, seminars, videos, to-do lists, or how-to promises we use to stay on task, we end up getting distracted. Every time.

We try to keep our heads straight and push through what's in front of us... and we still drift.

As we develop one idea, another one surfaces to replace it. As we write one post, we're already thinking about the next. As we start one task, we're already breaking down the one after it in our heads.

It's a constant battle. And it's universal.

Now, before we go blaming the kids, the phones, or social media: while those things certainly help the cause, I think we're actually searching for distraction, and those are just the convenient means. Remove them, and we'd find something else.

Is there a solution?

My honest answer: no. :)

The seminars will tell you otherwise. But our minds are sneaky and will always find a new route to distraction no matter how hard we work against it. Meditation builds focus and mindfulness, real benefits, no question. But it doesn't make you immune.

What has actually worked for me: accept that distraction is constant, and instead work on extending the gap between each one.

I can't hold total focus for ten minutes, or thirty, or through an entire meeting. But I can recalibrate and stretch the time I stay focused before my mind starts pulling me somewhere else.

The result: a better ratio of focus to distraction across the whole day. More focus, less drift, from the same pie.