Distracted? It's normal but...
Humans are WIRED to pay attention to what is new and potentially EXCITING or THREATENING. But with today’s endless distractions in the form of social media and notifications on all of our electronic devices, this instinct will prevent us from focusing on our PRIORITIES. And it will stress us out.
Imagine taking a caveman from his relatively quiet natural surroundings and transporting him to the middle of a superhighway with thousands of cars. Our nervous systems and psychology have not yet evolved to deal with this constant bombardment of stimuli. This instinct is referred to in Week 11 of my Daily Planner for Modern Humans is “Distract Away!”
And sometimes we distract ourselves to AVOID something we need to attend to. Staying busy so we don’t have to deal with sadness, or disappointment, or fear. I completely get it...and am not immune to it either so I deeply empathize. But if you are ready to move the needle on your goals, I invite you to ask yourself, “What am I avoiding by letting myself get distracted...yet again?”
The answer may not be what you WANT to hear, but maybe the exact thing you NEED to address in your life. What unwanted mental and energetic load is this adding to your life? What will be released if it is addressed?
With support,
Bijal
PS Adam Grant’s take on procrastination is that “we’re not avoiding work—we’re avoiding negative emotions that certain tasks stir up, like the fear of failing, the frustration of being stuck, or the boredom of repetition.” Read more here.
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Bijal Choksi, MA, CHPC, ACC