“I was derailed,” is a typical Nairobi speech that describes a situation where you agreed to a random plot – this is a picture of distraction. In modern culture, it is easy to get distracted and lose focus.
A distraction is any thought, person, activity, or situation that derails or stops you from reaching your goals. Distractions can stop dreams.
You could be doing important work on your laptop, and suddenly, notifications from different social media platforms start coming through your phone.
Consequently, you decide to check your Instagram, and before you know it, you’ve spent two hours watching reels and chatting.
These subtle distractions can create problems down the line. So, how do you overcome distractions? Here are three simple strategies.
Rule Your Phone: In the twenty-first century, we will all agree that one of the major sources of distraction is the smartphone. All-day, notifications tug on our attention like a crying child.
The smartphone has made our lives easier and more complicated at the same time – it powers good or evil. The choice is yours.
Question: is your smartphone building your life or tearing it down? Is your device creating profit or loss? Is it moving you towards your goals or away from them? Do you rule your phone, or does it rule you? Do an assessment and let the results determine your decisions.
Here, power is your ability to turn it off when you need to focus on an important task and get the job done. It’s your phone; rule it.
Daily Align with Goals: It’s not enough to set goals. But, are your daily activities aligned to your goals? What are those three daily activities that must be done to move you closer to your goals?
Set keystone goals and ensure that you daily engage in specific activities to make your dreams happen. That way, you push your agenda forward daily.
However, this works when the benefits of your goals are more valuable to you than the benefits of your distractions.
Adopt Personal Policy: Distractions can be costly and devastating, long-term. Hence my advocacy for personal policies.
We know the power of public policy. But on a personal level, these are behavioral choices that guarantee personal effectiveness.
For instance, as an executive coach, my phone is switched off during my sessions. It helps my presence, focus, and effectiveness – it’s a policy.
How important are your goals? What behavioral choices would help you achieve success? Policies weaken distractions and advance your agenda.
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