Distractions, Distractions, Distractions....
Sneaky little things…….
This is not the first time that I have written about this topic and I am sure it won’t be the last. Each morning I go through my morning routine. The routine itself doesn’t matter. Though I think mine is too long;). I need to trim it down a bit. Of late I think that distractions are part of my morning routine.
Interesting thought. I am going to say this again “ distractions are part of my morning routine.” What exactly is a distraction? Let’s start there. According to Webster's definition, a distraction is a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
Let's flip that around for a moment. Maybe what I am doing is a distraction to the initial distraction. For example, I am writing this article, blog, morning missive.. whatever you want to call it and I look up the word distraction. That takes me away from or prevents me from giving my full attention to something else. In this case my writing. Though is it really? Maybe it is just adding to my attention to my writing. Allowing me to see more to learn more. Where will that distraction lead? Will it take me down the rabbit hole to look at synonyms for the word distractions? Or maybe a study on the effectiveness of distractions in the workplace. An article one is not likely to find. I just made it up. Maybe I will write that article. Is what I am doing a distraction or just possibly a creative way of getting more information. Or letting things flow. Not restricting yourself to one thing and being ok with where the distraction takes you.
If that is the case and distractions can also mean “ the ability to let your attention move freely around a page an idea a solution or an observation.
There are times that distractions are the focus? Like right now.
It is 7:00 am and part of my morning routine is that I make my bed and then feed my dog. Does that mean I am being distracted from what I am doing? Technically Yes. According to webster. Does that make it a bad thing?
Not at all. Freedom ( that’s my dog ) needs to eat and the bed needs to be made. At least in the world, I live in. So I will allow myself the distraction and will be back in a few minutes to continue my morning missive.
I’m back. Bed made, meds given to the dog and he has now eaten. I can continue with my morning ramble.
I am a business coach for a lack of a better term. I like to think of myself who helps people get what they want. Achieve their goals. Help people get out of their own way due to a lack of thinking outside the box. I think the ability to get distracted to be able to let your mind wander and go to places unexpectedly somehow helps with that. We have given the word as well as the activity of distraction a bum rap. Not that I am saying that it doesn't have negative side effects. Of course, they do. When distractions prevent you from being productive and doing those activities that you need to do. Well, then they are BAD. I discuss how to deal with those distractions much more often in my coaching sessions as well as at my Retreats and during C2C. If you look on my website I also have a cute pdf give away on my site called The Distraction Assassinator.
I digress….or was I distracted from the main point. Interesting. My attention is still on writing this article, flow of consciousness but I was distracted. Even if momentarily to give you more information. So my mind went from informing and sharing ideas to maybe selling? To get you to my website? Inform you about other programs that I have. Or did I just want to inform you that there is also more information on distractions that I would like to share with you? Either way, it was a form of distraction or even wandering.
Which brings up another good point. What is the difference between your mind wandering and being distracted? They both prevent you from giving your full attention to something else. I think that might be the subject of a different entry. I feel like I can go down the rabbit hole on this one for sure. I just paused and looked up some articles on the difference between “mind-wandering and distractions” and boy was that a distraction for sure!
So to bring it all around full circle…distractions are not always non-productive activities. Actually the opposite!
Till my next missive!
