deepstash
Beta
Feeling Busy and Distracted? It's Not Your Fault
Proactive with your time
We should think proactively about what we're making time for.
Choose a highlight for your day. Maybe it's an activity that brings you joy, like a long walk or cooking a meal. Perhaps it's an accomplishment at work. Thinking about what you're making time for can create the motivation to set new habits.
112 SAVES
This is a professional note extracted from an online article.
Read more efficiently
Save what inspires you
Remember anything
IDEA EXTRACTED FROM:
5
Key Ideas
Feeling busy
We live in a distracting world, and it’s not getting any better. We are constantly bombarded with new information.
It's natural to think we need more discipline or willpower to resist the onslaught of distractions. But self-control is a function of circumstances, and willpower is a myth. We need to create an environment for good decisions.
Acceptance of distracting technology
Technology companies work hard to create products that bring convenience and delight. In turn, they benefit when we use these technologies more.
Our willing acceptance of distracting apps and our culture of constant busyness shows how normal these things have become. So, feeling busy and distracted is not your fault. However, you can take up the responsibility to change the defaults of distraction and busyness.
Remove distracting apps
The smartphone is the simplest and most effective way to reclaim your time and attention.
In contrast to hacks like disabling notifications, removing apps cuts the distraction where it starts. The app is still available, and we can still use it and check email and read the news, but we can do it on our terms.
Log out and change passwords
You might find your computer's web browser just as hard to resist.
Create a barrier to distraction. For example:
- Change your passwords for your top distractions.
- Choose random passwords that are impossible to remember.
- Put the passwords in a password manager app.
- Log out of all your websites.
- Remove all bookmarks and shortcuts to these sites.
Proactive with your time
We should think proactively about what we're making time for.
Choose a highlight for your day. Maybe it's an activity that brings you joy, like a long walk or cooking a meal. Perhaps it's an accomplishment at work. Thinking about what you're making time for can create the motivation to set new habits.
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
8
Key Ideas
Default choices
90% of your daily decisions happen automatically, many shaped by your environment. Thus, most decisions are a habit, not a deliberate choice.
To make smarter choices, design smarter...
Designing your life
Design your life like a choice architect:
- Encourage smarter decisions you want to do by making them more accessible.
- Add friction to habits you want to quit, making them less accessible, or remove the option to perform them completely.
Richard Thaler
“First, never underestimate the power of inertia. Second, that power can be harnessed.”
5 more ideas
6
Key Ideas
Learn To Use Procrastination
The desire to procrastinate is a healthy brain craving, a natural need for novelty and curiosity. We must stop the negative self-talk we have towards us not working as a machine all the time. The l...
Observe Your Need To Procrastinate
- Observe the need to procrastinate, recognizing and being aware of your desire. This is called meta-recognition and is what all the Gurus keep talking about when they speak about awareness.
- Label and accept your urge to waste your time, but without any negative judgement.
- Validate your urge to procrastinate, increasing your self-esteem.
- Approach procrastination as a friend, not as a threat.
The Real Enemy of Flow
The biggest obstacle, the main villain hampering our productivity is always in your hands, and rarely in your pockets. _It’s your smartphone. It needs to be powered off for some time. Your laptop, clamouring for attention, is not helping either. Remove all distractions and notifications so that you can get in the ‘flow’ mode.
Creating friction between us and the open black hole of the online distractions helps us focus on work.
3 more ideas
8
Key Ideas
Default behaviors
They are actions we make without thinking (habits, routines, compulsions). They control more than 40% of our daily actions.
So if we want to change our lives and be more productive, we...
Inbox always open
This behavior keeps you from dedicating your time to meaningful work. Replying to email may feel productive, but the truth is emails are rarely the most important thing on your to-do list.
So instead of keeping your inbox open all day, change your default behavior to working on emails in batches.
Immediately responding to messages
Real-time communication sets the expectation that you’re always available. And for many of us, our default behaviors support just that.
In order to change this behavior, you need to set expectations on response time. Mute specific channels, get rid of pop-ups, turn off mobile notifications, etc.
5 more ideas