What's a Sure Cure For Distractions?
Has anyone got a simple cure for distractions. I've tried many cures but they don't seem to work with me. Maybe its because I've been distracted for the past 84 years. You know the saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks". This pretty well describes my problem.
I'll start a project and the next thing I know a thought pops into my head and I'm off to Google or YouTube to learn more about it. This normally leads to more seaching until all of sudden I realize I've burned an hour while my original project has gone nowhere.
I've tried all the popular ones so I guess I'm looking for something off the wall that might do the trick. Please, if anyone has something unusual that works let me know. I'll forever be in your debt.
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Good to hear your problem. We are on the same boat. But I try to focus on my goals. It gets me back to where I should be.
Thanks for sharing. I realize I am not alone.
Hi Don. I am a lot like you.
I have tried setting a timer on my phone, it's set for 25 minutes. I'll set it, begin working on a project and when the phone goes off, I will take a 10 or 15 min break. Then on to the next project resetting the timer. It did help me not to wonder off into unknown whereabouts. I still use it on and off.
I have also set goals in the morning and tried focusing on getting through each one.
In the end it is all about focus I believe. You must have a goal for the day and a plan to accomplish it, then work on staying focused.
Just thinking
Ray
I find standing meditation good for focus.
And talking to myself along the lines of, "Yes that does look interesting, I'll just write x down so I can remember to research it later... now what am I DOING? Ah yes, I'm working on 'INSERT CURRENT PROJECT HERE'. So what's the next step? NO, I'm NOT going to google x now because I'm AMAZING and I know how to stay FOCUSED!!! Yeah! Go me!" And I find that talking to myself out loud in this way works better than just thinking it.
(Well, you did say off the wall.) And if you're still with me, I also have a few different personas that have different qualities that help to motivate me in different ways. So that if one of them is spending too much time doing one thing in an unbalanced way, one of the others will come along and remind them to do something else. For example, if I've spent too much time at the computer, my personal trainer persona will come along and tell me to do some stretching or go outside for a walk. And he'll tell me out loud. And he keeps me focused when I'm working out too. He's actually better in many ways than a real-life personal trainer. Certainly more affordable.
Hope that helps, or that at least I've entertained you with my odd ways! 😊
Woodsie
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You certainly have some novel way of beating the same problem as me. I'll see if I can do any of them. Thanks
I LOVE it Woodsie! I'm adopting all of these.
ps---> i'm glad i'm not the only one who talks to themselves... i was beginning to wonder about myself. LOL!
cheers!
jeff
Woodsie, You are amazing and I think very self-aware and guided by self-talk. I seems to me that some humans listen to the various thoughts moving through our brain. You used the persona, which I think indicates a differentiated consciousness. You have the high-end skill of generating messages that support your preferred goal.
I struggle with my own committee sometimes because I use medical THC, legal in Hawaii, and I enjoy "relaxation". Two distractions that are not helpful when left unchallenged. The second paragraph seems to be about balance which allows for the big-picture view of one's life. There is a time for fun and a time for work sort of. I use Steven Covey's 4 quadrants approach, which allows for a perspective on time management. Interesting stuff.
Great post and I like your approach to life.
Dr. Jeff
Yeah that thing we got told growing up about mad people talking to themselves is so wrong! EVERYONE talks to themselves! In our heads or out loud, and either way we can do it consciously or unconsciously.
As regards talking to yourself - don't worry about it - just find a totally sane version of Jeff and ask him if you're all right or not - he'll know! Haha! Only joking - I'm sure you're all fine!
Right gotta go now - Jake my PT has just come in, and he's told me I need to sleep so that I'm well rested for my morning workout.
Woodsie
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Thanks Dr. Jeff!
Just had a quick look at the Steven Covey quadrants thing - looks interesting - will enjoy looking further into it.
Yes, relaxation is definitely important! Can't do what you do though - if I did I know that literally nothing from any quadrant would get done!
I think the trick is to stay relaxed whilst still doing stuff. A lot of people tense up when they work at something, but if you can keep soft and fluid, then the action almost does itself.
Hawaii must be lovely. I've told Rainbow we'll go there one day but I'm not sure she believes me yet. Jake's up for it though. He wants to practise his martial arts on the beach.
Stay relaxed!
Woodsie
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Hi Don, well I'm a bit like that too I guess.
I don't know how novel this approach is, but I like to break things down into their smallest pieces, like one training session at a time, and attack them one at a time, celebrating each piece accomplished.
We have to make sure we put it into practice immediately to make sure we "get it" and use it before moving on to the next piece.
Many quick, bite-size milestones are the important wins along the way toward getting it all done eventually - at your own pace.
Look forward to baby steps every day!
Schedule your start time, a time to complete it by, and keep your head in the game for each one of those minutes. Ideally, sometime in the morning when we're most mentally alert, not late evenings when learning or creativity is much tougher.
Hope some of this helps!
Thank you. I've tried this one & it works for a little while until some random thought creeps into my head. It then takes me a while to get back to it.
Yes, i get it Don - write down that "creeping" thought on a note pad next to your main task....so, you write it down in order to "acknowledge that it exists", and so that you "won't worry about forgetting it", and then get back to your main task!
You can always come back to your creeping list once you're done what you really need and want to do first.
But stop your creeping list when your schedule tells you to begin your next work session. .Remember, you're the boss of what gets done! I'm no expert but I hope this might help a bit :)
Set a timer ... that you are doing nothing but thus for next twenty or thirty minutes .. or hour if you need longer .. do that two or three times a day and bingo you just did two or three hours of uninterrupted focus ... I did this last five years ... result hundreds of books read and twenty two journals of notes ... let me know if it helps ... best to you ...
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Don, at 84 and still curious enough to google something is awesome. I have found that beating myself up doesn't work. No one is keeping score.
My mother, 92, told me the other day that Mother Nature is never late and always gets the job done. One of the problems with western culture is the idea that the good (focus) must win over the bad (distraction). Well in eastern cultures, the ying and yang symbol teaches that there is a balance. Perhaps that is why some Christians believe the devil is chasing them and the Buddhists practice non-attachment because attachment causes suffering. That is why I practice transcending self-judgment and non-attachment to the critic in my brain. Be kind to oneself usually gives me a break. BootCamp discipline causes anxiety for me.
Love you man and hope to keep the conversations going. Dr. Jeff
That some pretty heavy advice. I'm going to look into it. Thanks you.
Yes! The yin yang is a great symbol showing the relationship between forces we see as complete polar opposites. You can't have one without the other. We can easily judge one extreme as being good and one as bad, but really they are each part of the same whole and one gradually transforms into the other as day follows night and night follows day.
There's a time for everything so I agree, Dr Jeff, it's healthy and wise to transcend self-criticism and be kind to oneself! Allowing oneself to flow through different phases and remaining unfazed just makes sense. Doing anything else (like beating yourself up for not focusing) makes as much sense as getting angry at the sun for not being visible at night-time and becoming cross with it during the day for shining so brightly.
Have fun being focused! And have fun being unfocused too!
Woodsie
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Don, Some times my brain acts like my bladder, it just lets go. 8))
In my experience, I am attracted to distraction. As an addiction specialist, I appreciate the idea that brain physiology and the reward system loves to be active. We know what attracts us and that reward is satisfied when we give in to it. example: hunger, thirst, intimacy, getting hi for some, parenting impulse, and others. When we don't accept the attraction we get a dissatisfaction message which may or may not be conscious.
After all, there are good distractions and harmful distractions. You have grandchildren. That for me would be a great distraction. I would love to crawl around the grass then get angry about their constant need to be approved. More important than the price of my prize stock. A poor distraction may be needing to win every discussion with my wife. I would rather be happy than right. I hope you can understand my point, if not please allow me to apologize. Dr. Jeffrey
Do you think I should write a blog on this subject?