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Meg Edwards
Managing Internal Distractions
While coaching people I often hear about the distractions that prevent them from getting done what they say they want to get done. I hear them complain about all the things that pull them off of their focus. But what is mentioned in the GTD training is who distracts us the most? WE DO! How does that happen?
The ding on your email goes off so you stop whatever you are doing to see who just emailed you. As you begin to respond to the email, your eye catches the post it on your computer screen which reminds you that you have to call Fred today so you pick up the phone to call Fred and as your dialing your eye catches the pile of “very important” papers next to the computer that is saying to you, “You better take care of me soon or else you are going to have a problem here...”, and when Fred answers the phone you can’t remember why you called him. It isn’t even 9:00am and you’re already feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Where do you begin?
Mel Levine, a Developmental Pediatrician defines distraction as “ a departure from whatever current need or plan a [person] is attending to.” He describes five kinds of distractions: Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Future-oriented and Social. I find it useful to identify the type of distractions that may pull a person away from their focus because once the tendency is identified, a strategy can be developed to redirect oneself.
I am going to break down the five different areas to explore how they operate as distractions and then give some remedies using the Getting Things Done methodology.
Visual: While on the phone you see a pile of paper that has been sitting on your desk for awhile and wonder if there is anything important in that stack that you need to do something about. So you stop whatever you are doing and start to browse through that pile.
Remedy: Do a mindsweep of everything that has your attention in your office. Out of this mindsweep you may see a project that needs to be added to your project list called “Get Clean and Current in Office.” Determine what your next action is to move on this project and write that action on the appropriate list.
Auditory: You hear the “ding” on your email notifying you that you have a new email. So you stop whatever you are doing to see what that is and what you need to do about it. In other words, you treat email like a ringing phone.
Remedy: Unless you have a job which requires that you be immediately responsive to every email that comes in, turn your email notification system off. Designate specific times during the day when you will focus on email.
Tactile: Have you ever been working on something and before you knew it you had something else in your hand that grabbed your attention and you don’t remember picking it up?
Remedy: Only have reference material, equipment, decoration, supplies or whatever you are currently working on top of your desk. Everything else should be filed or put away.
Future Oriented: You are responding to an email which reminds you of a project that is due ten days from now. You start thinking about all the moving parts of that project and before you know it you are working on that project and you never finished writing the email.
Remedy: As part of your weekly review make sure you look ahead to the due dates for every project and clarify all the pieces that need to be done to ensure the projects are moving in a timely fashion. Add any due dates to any pieces of the projects so you can know when you need to be working each piece.
Social: This interruption happens when you are working at your desk and you see someone you haven’t connected with in a while so you find yourself following them
to the coffee room to have a chat and suddenly you realize you have spent 20 minutes talking to them rather than working on the presentation that is due tomorrow.
Remedy: When you want to connect with someone, employ the “two minute rule”. Let the person know that you want to connect with them and can the two of you look at a time that will work for both of you to do that. This will enable you to relax because you will know that the opportunity to be with this person is built into your schedule.
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