10 Ideas for Managing Distractions & Creating More Focus

Posted on January 09, 2018 by Mark Langford, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

Succumbing to distractions may be a form of self-sabotage. Not following-through is a clever way that we keep from putting ourselves “out there” and taking it to the next level where we may “fail," be harshly judged, or – perhaps scarier yet – be expected to maintain a consistently higher level of success.

Much like procrastination, distractions prevent you from moving forward and keep you seemingly “safe,” but ultimately stuck where you currently are. Here are some ideas on how to move past distractions and to move forward in your life and career – perhaps a few will resonate with you!

1) Get super clear on what you want and define what would make your life a perfect 10 in each of the following categories: Career, Money, Health, Fun/Leisure/Recreation, Personal Growth & Learning, Significant Other/Romance, Friends & Family, Physical Environment.

2) Take the time to develop a Vision Statement that encompasses what you want to 1) Do, 2) Be, and 3) Have. Then create the goals to support that vision as well as the specific actions you need to take.

3) Make a plan and take small steps toward what you want and your vision. Be proactive and make the time to take some action every day – no matter how small – to advance your interest(s). Small is beautiful and it really is about the journey and not the destination because once you “arrive,” you’ll start a new journey anyway!

4) Notice your thoughts and when they turn negative, then replace (don’t resist) them with a mantra or “battle cry” that you come up with that supports your vision (e.g., “I am focused, determined and action oriented!”). Reprogram your mind (which is really just a big, organic computer) that runs the stories (programs) that you feed it.

5) Let go of expectation the best you can. If something doesn’t show up exactly the way you thought it would, step back and see if something you want is showing up in way that you hadn’t yet considered.

6) Approach everything with questions such as, “Why?” “What else is possible?” and “How can it get even better than this?” so that there is room for growth and expansion beyond your expectations. Avoid conclusions and a fixed mindset as these snuff out personal growth and expansion.

7) Let go of what other people may or may not think of you. Whatever they think is their reality, not yours and they have a different set of genes, experience and perceptions than you do.

8) Work on moving past your fear of failure – which is likely at the root of your allowing yourself to be distracted. You have LOTS of great ideas and pursuing any one of them will invite new learning. To succeed you must be willing to not meet expectation and see that new pathways open up on the other side of trying something new.

9) Get support. Join a mastermind group, hang with positive. like-minded people, get a mentor, work with a coach, and/or ask for help when you need it. Community is a primary source of support, so make sure that you spend time with the folks who truly support you and who also aren’t afraid to call you on the BS stories you tell yourself that hold you back.

10) Start a “positive journal” where you envision your success as if it were happening right now (i.e., write in the present tense about your vision coming to fruition and how it looks and feels like). Let your mind wander and focus on the “what” and “why” of your vision and not the “how.”