by: Betsy Shulman
Distractions are a great way to avoid success. In fact, the definition of a distraction is anything that comes between you and your goals. If it doesn’t take you closer, then it’s dragging you away. As the saying goes: “If you want to defeat someone, distract them.”
Yet, when you’re working alone, you can easily think that a couple of minutes to make a quick call, or open some mail won’t make a difference. Then one thing leads to another, and if you’re like me, you end up far from where you wanted to be as an hour has flown by. If you want to achieve your goals then you must learn to avoid distractions.
Sometimes life fast-forwards like a movie screen run amok. I’m in one of those phases right now, and it sure makes staying focused a challenge. That’s my challenge and it’s forcing me to become better organized and more sensitive to the ways I allow myself to be distracted.
Some folks are blessed with a love of schedules and “to do” lists. I am not. The artist in me tends to free-associate from one idea to the next. Before I know it I’m searching out clinics to get vaccines for my trip to Kenya when I haven’t completed the blog post I began earlier in the morning.
Truth be told, the only way to manage distractions is to control two things: Your environment, and your own actions. You can choose to find or create the work environment that helps you to focus and that shields you from distractions, whether visual, sound, or even smell.
Do you prefer some background noise and a bit of greenery out your window, or are you happiest working in a quiet cell-like setting? Choose what works best for you. Perhaps you do best in a cyber café, or prefer to do certain tasks in different settings.
Create productive habits. Creating an environment that keeps you focused is half the battle; the other half is choosing to master your work habits. Do you multi-task and jump from one task to the next, without ever really completing one or the other? What could you do to stay focused on one task until it’s completed?
Eben Pagan, a top productivity trainer, and author of Wake Up Productive, recommends setting a timer for 50 minutes, then rewarding yourself with a quick snack or 10 minutes of relaxation before resetting the timer and getting back to work. Stay with this routine until you can hold your focus for a full hour without letting anything pull you away from the task at hand. Like a muscle, focused attention is something you can develop with time and practice.
Distractions are no laughing matter. Those who focus win the game; whether it’s Tiger Woods on the golf course (no amount of public humiliation has had the power to undermine his game) or keeping your focus long enough to finish a task, everyone who seeks to be successful has to choose whether they will be master of their actions and thoughts, or let outside influences control their habits.
Yes, allowing distractions to interfere with your goals is nothing more than a habit that can be changed by choosing to create new habits. To quote Eben Pagan, “Habit is destiny.” Master your habits by building new, “focus muscles” that will keep distractions away, and then watch your productivity soar.
About The Author :
Betsy Shulman is an Internet marketer and online business coach who has conquered the Internet Jungle and can help you to do the same. For straightforward answers about how to build your online business, visit http://www.elephantentrepreneur.com and get Betsy’s Free 12 Step Marketing E-course.
If you’re ready to redesign your life, and tired of sifting through dead-end business ideas, http://www.wealthsystemnetwork.com?t=art.distr is a place to connect with everything you need to build a profitable Internet marketing business - all in one place, including live training and mentoring. It's all there waiting for you!
The author invites you to visit:
http://elephantentrepreneur.com
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