Clearing the Clutter & Becoming Distraction-Proof
You don’t need more time.
You don’t need more motivation… inspiration… another planner, course, shiny object… you need LESS distraction!
Less distractions, less clutter, more attention and simplifying. These are the keys to clarity in this episode of Content with Character.
I recently stumbled upon a Substack article written by Matt DiGeronimo, author of Writerly Things called “Time is Not the Bottleneck. Attention Is.” The following stood out to me in his musings…
We all have the same 24 hours. The billionaire and the barista. The poet and the plumber. But why does it seem like some people squeeze symphonies out of their day, while others barely manage a squeak? The answer isn't in how they use their time, it's in what they give their attention to.
The time management world has taken a bit of a wrong turn…
We’ve been treating the issue/problem of TIME and productivity all wrong. Productivity books, hacks, magical morning routines – I blame it all.
Time gets a bad rap most of the time. Or, maybe like me, you blame yourself when you “run out of time”, “never have enough time”.
I think the real issue is distraction, which in our defense is only 53% of our fault (more on that in a sec).
In his article, Matt goes on to say:
“Time feels scarce because your attention is scattered.
We’re not running out of time, we’re being robbed of it, one notification at a time. Time keeps ticking. But attention? That’s a currency we’re spending recklessly, without a budget.”
I said it’s not our fault… entirely…
- Your brain is wired for distraction and is in a state of distraction or natural wandering 47% of the time it’s awake!
This stat comes from a 2010 Harvard study by Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert, where participants were pinged randomly throughout the day and asked three things:
- What are you doing right now?
- Are you thinking about what you’re doing?
- How are you feeling?
Across 250,000+ data points, the results showed that people were not thinking about what they were doing almost half the time, and this was true regardless of the activity (working, commuting, relaxing, etc.).
Even more interesting? They found that mind-wandering often made people less happy, even if they were thinking about something pleasant.
So, it’s not you, it’s not me…
We’re wired to be mentally elsewhere almost half the time. But there is something we can do about it, so it doesn’t cost us presence, impact, and peace.
The other reason you’re not to blame is that our society is set up to distract us:
- Commercials are loud, flashy, practically shouting their agendas at you
- There’s a lot more busyness overall in life as we age and increase our responsibilities
- Website pages are riddled with pop-ups, ads, email list sign-ups, cookie acceptance… distractions
- Don’t even get me started on social media and the infinite scroll and endless source of distraction
- Plus, don’t forget the everyday pings and dings from texting to email to Voxer to Whatsapp, you name it!
But we get a choice to reclaim some of our attention.
To CHOOSE what we want to focus on and give as much of our attention to that. We can actively remove distractions in our lives and business. And in doing so, reclaim our TIME, peace of mind, and presence.
The reason I say time management isn’t the solution is because it’s not JUST about time. You also need to increase attention.
Productivity isn’t just about getting things done. It’s about using your TIME in a way that’s effective and impactful.
Time and attention together are a powerful combination and life-changing.
So, here are five ways I came up with to remove distractions from your business and use your TIME and attention together to create some seriously magical momentum.
5 Ways to Remove Distractions:
1) Set up Your “In the Zone” Zone
Otherwise known as your focus fortress, your attention oasis, your productivity palace, your think tank. This is about creating intentional time and intentional spaces for yourself to do your best work without competing tasks and priorities.
It’s not just about blocking off time to get it done but also blocking distractions that might keep you from getting it done. Those distractions could be anything from unfinished thoughts to competing priorities to things on your desk.
Tips:
- Brain dump mental clutter
- Close ALL tabs except for the ones needed for the task at hand
- Set your desk up in a way that’s uncluttered, cozy, and inspiring, with everything you need
- Close your office door if you have to!
- Put your phone in DND (Do Not Disturb). This is a game-changer!
- Put on focus music or a similar “focus cue” to prompt your brain
Focus rituals are extremely effective. Your brain loves predictability and you’ll be teaching it that these are “cues” for creative/focused work.
2) Use Weekly or Daily Attention Setting Goals
I typically map out my weekly schedule in advance and prep for each day the night before.
This way, I can also regularly check in with what I didn’t get done, look at where my attention slipped, and make sure I’m sort of doing an ongoing “attention” audit.
There are times when stuff gets crossed off my list at this point because either it’s an idea that no longer feels implement-worthy, or it’s an unnecessary task/not a priority. It’s a good reminder that you only have so much time in day, week, and you can’t and don’t have to do EVERYTHING in a day (never mind a single hour!).
3) Ruthlessly Filter What Comes In
Remove distractions from everything and everywhere including taking on wrong projects or clients. Remove distractions where you’re filling your life with things that aren’t aligned with your vision or goals.
This is about ruthlessly unsubscribing, unfollowing, unfriending, etc. when things coming IN are not supporting the mental head space you want, or disrespecting your boundaries, or just aren’t something you want to keep up.
Look at your friends, obligations and commitments, book club, that committee you’re part of, groups, clients, project types, tasks, look at all of it and filter!
You don’t have to (and can’t) consume everything nor fit everything.
Everything you give your time to is a “yes”, a “vote” for where your attention is going.
Are you saying “yes” to junk or focusing on what really matters most to you?
4) Removing Distractions t’s a Lifestyle
Crystal Nerpel, a friend of mine wrote and published a book recently called Loving Your Home. It’s about simplifying and creating spaces that make you feel good, focused, and more in love with your life. Removing distractions helps you LOVE every part of your life and lifestyle MORE.
Physical and mental decluttering is a lifestyle. Pay attention to what distracts you, annoys you, or takes you away from what you were doing throughout the day, get CLEAR on what you want it to look like instead, and restructure accordingly.
Remember, it’s easier to get distracted when you’re exhausted or depleted.
You may also need to check in with when you’re most inclined to be focused and have energy, so you’re not trying to run on fumes all the time. When you’re exhausted, it’s harder to be productive because you simply can’t FOCUS.
Want more on removing distractions?
Listen to the Content with Character episode HERE 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
In the episode:
- What if time isn’t the problem?
- The nature and stats of distraction (it’s not your fault!)
- How to choose where your attention goes based on seasons, balance, and what you need in your business
- 4 Ways to distraction-proof yourself
- Setting up your “In the Zone” zone
- Using weekly and daily attention-setting goals
- Ruthlessly filtering inputs
- Distraction-proofing is a lifestyle
