In the last Quick Tip I wrote that decluttering helps getting rid of distractions and can therefore help you better focus. Let me ask an easy question: Why is it so important to be focused?
I listen to podcasts when I clean the house, enjoy audio-books on my commute, workout to music, and I even watch TV while eating dinner. Everything is easier with a little distraction and you can’t say driving doesn’t require focus. I may not always be able to remember the last few miles, but I still have most of my senses directed at road and traffic.
Would you say that when you are very focused on something for half an hour you could still tell exactly you did an hour later? I hope you could. But don’t you sometimes have days when you go to bed and you are not so sure what you have done during the day? Indistinguishable days and fleeting weeks are the result.
Have you ever looked at your watch just to be asked by someone for the time five seconds later and you couldn’t tell? That happened because you were not checking what time it is, but how much time is left or how much time has already passed since the last time you checked. You were not focused on the exact time while checking your watch.
Smart phones, Emails, and TV screens are hard to ignore because they are welcome distractions. But they also take our awareness away from the current activity.
I challenge you for the next week to:
- Only check your emails three times a day.
- Leave your cell phone in your pocket unless you want to place a call or the phone rings.
- Try to have three dinners without watching TV.
Just try it and be watchful whether you are noticing a change in you and around you.
This is DO Quick Tip No 47
photo credit: modified from Susan E Adams via photopin cc