Overcoming Distractions
Blogging has been an enjoyable and extremely difficult undertaking for me. I love the process of transforming an idea into published content, but I find that choosing to sit down and write is one of the hardest decisions of my day. When I should be writing, I tend to watch TV, browse social media and do anything else that crosses my mind. Distractions like these play a powerful role in all of our lives. They often keep us from doing what we should be doing or even what we want to do, and the best way to defeat them is to plan.
As an example, I’ve written out my personal plan for overcoming distractions that prevent me from writing.
- Leave home. I tend to go to coffee shops and books stores because my apartment holds too many powerful distractions.
- Bring only what you need. If I’m blogging, I don’t even bring a book.
- Buy noise-canceling headphones. Noise-canceling headphones are perfect for sharpening my concentration.
- Turn on “do not disturb” mode. Notifications are helpful things, but they are designed to distract. I can quickly turn off all notification on my phone and my computer with “do not disturb” mode.
We all have different duties and distractions. I’m not suggesting that you follow my plan. I only hope to encourage you to plan. Like Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”