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Organizing Your Day: Avoiding Distractions

Good job on making it this far!.  Fun fact: only 10% of people ever read past the first chapter of any book. So having come this far in our Organizing Your Day series is amazing!! Now we are at Avoiding Distractions.

Let’s be honest, it’s pretty easy to come up with a daily schedule. The hard part is actually following through with your agenda on a day-to-day basis. I’m sure you’ve seen a friend who decided to start a diet and gave up within a week. The truth is; it’s a little bit tough.

Avoiding Distractions

Following a set schedule, each and every day takes a large amount of discipline. The biggest foe you’ll have to face is distractions.

Distractions range from time-consuming tasks like Netflix to energy-sapping events like drinking with friends. These events offer only short-term pleasure and are detrimental to your success.

writing in a planner to get more organized

The 4 Step Process To Avoiding Distractions

A four-step process was discovered upon interviewing groups of people who were considered to be extremely successful. Each individual had an amazing way to overcome distraction. Although each individual had a unique strategy to face distraction, they all boiled down to the same fundamentals.

Avoiding Distractions Step 1: Identifying The Distraction

The first step to overcoming distractions is to identify them. Think about your average day. What are some things that you turn to when you’re bored? How do you go about procrastinating? Have you ever had a project or task at hand and all of a sudden you wander off to do something else?

I know that I have done this one when I realize that I left my coffee lay somewhere yet again. When I lose my coffee, I’ve lost my focus. It’s a great identifier in how I’m being distracted.

Step 2: Picture Your Goal

The second step to overcoming any distractions is to visualize your long-term goals.

Allow your mind to wander. Imagine what it would be like to have achieved all the goals you wanted to in the next year.  What it would be like to have lost weight? Imagine yourself running on the beach receiving compliments on your body. What would it be like to have cleaned your house? Imagine inviting friends over for dinner and drinks. Imagine what it would be like to have graduated with top scores. What jobs do you now qualify for?

By vividly imagining your dreams you will associate large amounts of value with these long-term goals. People who are successful simply value their long-term goals more than anything else. You can bet that they think about these goals each and every day! The more you think about your long-term goals, the more you’ll desire success.

woman at desk working on her phone

Avoiding Distractions Step 3: Associating Distractions With Not Achieving Your Goals

The next time you find yourself partaking in one of your distractions, think about your dreams. You will find that this becomes easier as you practice step 2 on a day-to-day basis.  When a distraction comes up, manually associate it with failure. Tell yourself that these distractions will only hinder your progress towards success.

Sometimes it’s even more powerful to tell yourself that these distractions will put you behind on your path to success. By doing this each and every time a distraction comes up, you will find that they will become easier and easier to ignore. The desire to fool around when there is work to be done disappears. You become a person with a purpose. And these distractions are your enemies.

Step 4: Just Do It

Even if you have to associate this step with a popular shoe brand like I do, this one is important.

After successfully ignoring your distraction, you need to take action right then and there. Whatever task you have to do, go and do it. The more often you can complete this process the easier it becomes.

By following this process over and over you will have successfully obtained a new habit of ignoring distractions!

Action Goal

On a piece of paper write down a list of what distracts you the most 

Write down the detrimental effects of each distraction in detail. Describe how partaking in these distractions will slow down your progression towards your goals.

The next time you catch yourself wandering off from your schedule, look at the notes you wrote down in this section. Immediately go back to following your schedule. Repeat this process as many times as needed for the next 21 days.

NOTE: This is the hardest Action Goal you will have to master in this entire process.  If you are really serious about organizing your life, then follow these steps with vigor.

Missed any of our Organizing Your Day series? Start from the beginning with us by going HERE.

Organizing Your Day: Overcome Distractions- Heritage Home Ec Creating a streamlined process to reach your goals is hard. Let's talk about how avoiding distractions can help you create the life you want. | Organizing | Daily Schedule | Time Management | Home Economics |
Organizing Your Day: Overcome Distractions- Heritage Home Ec Creating a streamlined process to reach your goals is hard. Let's talk about how avoiding distractions can help you create the life you want. | Organizing | Daily Schedule | Time Management | Home Economics |
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