Are you Distracted?

Last week I met a friend for dinner. As we were being seated, I was amazed at how full the place was YET how quiet it was.

How can this be? Well…many of the tables were not talking with each other, they were scrolling on their phones. Have you noticed this lately?

Standing in the grocery line, waiting for your coffee order, sitting in the doctors office. So little novel conversation is happening. We are all distracted by the notification bells on our phones or watches.

Have you been in the middle of a conversation and the person you are engaged with suddenly turns their wrist to look at the latest ping? This is so frustrating! 

Our lack of ability to focus on the task at hand has far reaching effects, on us and on those around us. It can tear relationships of all kinds apart. If you never feel like your partner, friend or relative is fully present during a conversation, it decreases trust and intimacy. 

Many of us work primarily online and there are multiple distractions that can influence our ability to be productive. The primary one I hear about is email. How many times per day do you check your email? I am guilty of it too. My most productive time for focused work is in the morning. In order to not get sucked into my email train, I quickly check to see if there is anything that needs an immediate response. If not, I close it down (make sure you have notifications turned OFF) and get about writing. Then in the afternoon, I reply to all necessary emails. I also recently put aside an hour to unsubscribe to emails that I no longer am interested in. This is well worth the effort.

I have been hyper aware of these situations since reading the book Indistractable by Nir Eyal. What a great read…somewhat frightening and super helpful.

He provides simple steps to decrease distractions:

• Turn OFF all unnecessary notifications

• Clean up your desktop on your computer

• Simplify your phone home screen

• Delete unused apps

• Take social media OFF your phone

These are just a few ideas he highlights.

This month I challenge you to be FULLY present. Next time you are in the grocery line, keep your phone in your pocket. During conversations keep your phone on do not disturb. Keep you phone in the other room when you are doing focused work on your computer.