How to Stay Focused in a Busy and Distracted World
5 minute read
Heeeey wonderful human,
I wanna talk about the big O...yes OVERWHELM.
You know it? I am allllll too familiar with this guy (it was my emotional home for years!)
With the pace of modern society speeding up and the rise of social media and digital technologies our human species are well, you could say a little strung out!
You know those days when your brain feels scattered with a million tabs open (like your Google Chrome)? And your to-do list is literally ruminating through your mind? There’s a creeping anxiety you’re going to drop the ball on something. And just when you start to get momentum something interrupts and demands your attention. UGH.
Well I’ve been experimenting and deep diving into what it takes to be productive and effective in a busy and distracted world.
And it’s going to take a new level of thinking and active management (of the allures of modern society). Here are a couple of key distinctions to make first…
Shallow vs Deep Work
According to Cal Newport (author of ‘Deep Work’ - my current read and 10/10 recommend) due to the demanding nature of digital tech, we are increasingly spending our days reacting to what he calls ‘shallow work’. Checking emails, replying to FB messages, running life admin. This constant connection is leaving little time for what he calls ‘deep work’ - being tasks that are cognitively challenging and produce significant value.
Busy vs Productive
With this increasing pace of life, we’ve shortened our attention spans and wound up our nervous systems! Leaving us feeling ‘busy’ ALL the time, however when we really get honest with ourselves - are the activities we’re doing really shifting the needle on what matters most? #productive
Well every one of us deserves to live our best life, enjoy our days, be present with our loved ones, create massive value for the world and experience the true depth of our potential. So here’s a few ways you can start to decrease feelings of overwhelm and take control of your days…
Actionable Tips
Practice Braindumping - grab your journal and write down alllllll the admin tasks, projects, conversations running through your mind. Just dump it all!
Make your smartphone dumb:
Turn all app notifications off (just go to settings on your phone)
Cull some apps - get down to the essentials, I deleted Facebook and Gmail from my phone and it literally gave me back 2 hours in my day.
Limit social media + netflix consumption - whilst entertaining, these platforms are designed to be addictive and tend to distract us from doing deep work! Use them as a reward after your deep work is done.
Track your time on Toogl - realistic scheduling is an art, doing this will finally get some clarity on how long tasks actually take.
Decide what your one big thing is each day. And block out time to do it first!
Practice powerful completion - at the end of each day write your to-do list and actions for tomorrow. Then go home, forget about it and enjoy your loved ones!
Choose at least 2 actions from the list above and let’s work some magic!
