You start your day knowing the most important things you need to get done. But as you launch into your top priority, you get a text from a co-worker asking if you can talk for five minutes.
The battle begins.
You reason, “This will only take a few minutes.” “They are depending on me to respond quickly.” “I know I need to talk to them today, so I might as well get it out of the way now.”
Your ability to defend your priorities against distractions determines the level of your productivity on any given day. And it seems most people’s defense systems are weak.
When I lose the battle with distractions, it’s usually one of these three factors at the root.
- Immediate gratification: Responding gives me more satisfaction than the current priority task I am working on.
- People Pleasing – I respond so the individual will like me or not be upset with me.
- Chose the easy over the difficult – Responding to the distraction is less effort than the priority task I am working on.
Distraction is the opposite of traction. Traction is what you need to make significant progress toward your goals and mission. If distractions consistently win the small battles, you will lose the ultimate war – accomplishing your priority goals.
So you need a DDS – Distraction Defense System.
Treat a Priority like a Priority
There are plenty of days I write down my top 3 priorities but fail to accomplish them. It;’s not what I say that determines my priorities; it’s what I act on.
Imagine you were with the President. During that meeting, you get that same text from a co-worker asking if you could talk for 5 minutes. You wouldn’t dream of responding until later. Meeting with the President is the most important thing you could be doing at that moment.
The same applies to your priorities for the day. If you block out an hour for exercise and someone asks you to meet during that hour, you will say “no” if it is indeed a priority.
Know Your Enemy
I have come to look at distractions as my enemy. They try to steal that which is most important to me. What distracts me the most may not be a distraction for you. You have to know your own vulnerabilities.
Here’s a list of the most common distractions: Text, Phone call, social media, surfing the internet, email, co-worker dropping by, working in a noisy environment
It’s funny looking at this list. None of these stand up against my priorities for today:
- Writing a chapter for my new book
- Shooting a training video
- Going to the gym
- Contacting two clients
- Playing with my grandkids
The decision you make at the point of distraction tells you how committed you are to your priority.
Build the Skill of Focus
Many people will tell you, “I just can’t focus.”
Yes, you can. But you have to learn how. Focus is a skill that can be developed. In fact, it is a crucial skill if you want to maximize the time God gives you on this earth.
I define focus as “Knowing what is essential at the moment and bringing full attention to move it forward.”
Let’s take a quick test:
- I know my top 3 priorities for today?
- I won the battle against distractions yesterday?
- I am making significant progress toward my big goals/objectives/projects?
How did you do?
If you want to grow in your ability to focus, here are a few book recommendations:
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