“Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. Time is short.”
—Adam Hochschild, American author, journalist and lecturer
“No diversions and no distractions.”
I once heard of a boss who insisted that the games feature on every office computer be disabled and the use of MP3 players be banned during work hours. He also asked the IT department to monitor computer usage to ensure that no-one was stealing company time by surfing social networking sites. The penalty for such an infraction was termination of employment.
“People have enough trouble staying focused,” he said. “Why make it harder?”
Diversions and distractions take many forms in the workplace and at home. Anything that captivates or turns aside our attention from more pressing matters would qualify.
And in a sense, the boss is right. Before the Internet, we had distractions but they were never just a click away. But it’s not just the convenience of our diversions and distractions that make them irresistible; many of them mask deep-seated fears we have about our own self-worth.
Admittedly, sometimes it’s good to take a break and find something else to do.
But that’s where things get tricky.
How do you tell if the break you are taking is a good thing or not? Often, during the course of my writing, I’ll take a little brain-break. When I return, I’m ready to write again. My breaks are never more than a few minutes – writing remains the priority.
Knowing when to take a break and when to stay firmly on task didn’t always come easy to me. For years my time was filled with diversions and distractions and I used them — unconsciously — to occupy my time and fill my days so I didn’t have to look at the more serious issues in my life.
Like poor quality food that fills the belly but doesn’t feed the body, my attention was removed from the truly meaningful soul-sustaining activities that serve to build a better life.
I was doing a lot of things — always busy, always preoccupied, with little time for anyone or anything.
The years were fluttering past and I was constantly on the move. The truth is I was terrified, living in fear (in high gear) and I was unwilling to stop.
I knew there were issues in my life that required deep contemplation and certainly many activities that needed to be curtailed or eliminated altogether. To stop and focus upon them would mean admitting failure.
Many times, we’ll avoid an activity because we view it as boring, unpleasant, uncomfortable, threatening or confusing. And often we will magnify the burdensomeness of the task and filter out the value of acting now. Too often it’s simply easier to tell ourselves that we’ll deal with it tomorrow and, when tomorrow comes, make up another excuse. When the pressure of unresolved life issues increases (and it will) our fear and resistance often increases along with it.
The point here is to determine whether an activity has any redeeming value or productive purpose.
If an activity helps us to relax, de-stress and ultimately come back into balance, than it’s a useful diversion. If an activity ignites our creativity, then it’s a helpful diversion.
If an activity brings us joy and a sense of well-being, then again, it’s a useful and helpful diversion.
Yes, I’m making a slight distinction here between diversions and distractions. I think of a diversion as a detour on the highway that ultimately leads back to the main highway.
A distraction is a dead end that causes us to lose our way.
Taking note of how you feel while involved in a side venture will help determine whether it is positively or negatively affecting your life.
Do you feel stress-free while your attention is elsewhere, but return feeling burdened or poorly about yourself — as though you’ve squandered valuable time or resources?
Chances are, you’re ignored the prompting of your higher self and are leaving a major issue unresolved.
Take on the burden and start dealing with it.
Diversions and distractions can also be a form of procrastination — needlessly delaying timely, relevant or vital activities until another day or time.
In essence, we procrastinate when we habitually put off activities that demand our full or immediate attention.
From a self-esteem standpoint, these needless delays affect our health, happiness, effectiveness, relationships, sense of self-worth and countless other aspect of life.
Yes, we’re all guilty of putting things off at one time or another. Think of it as a vacation – eventually we need to return home.
Often, we procrastinate to delay tackling something important in our life that we feel incapable of handling.
We may feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the issue and the mere thought of tackling it is frightening and debilitating to us. Frequently we are afraid of what other people might think of us if they “knew” the truth of our inadequacy.
Fear can easily become our prime motivator and choices based on fear seldom generate positive outcomes.
Admittedly, not every delay is procrastination.
We routinely make value choices. We decide what is more meaningful or important to do. Certain tasks simply take priority over others.
“People don’t want their lives fixed,” declared Chuck Palahniuk, American novelist and freelance journalist. Though I would disagree with the all-encompassing nature of Palahniuk’s statement, it does (sadly) hold true for most people. Palahniuk goes on to say, “Nobody wants their problems solved — their dramas, their distractions, their stories resolved — their mess cleaned up because what would they have left? Just a big scary unknown.”
Living a life filled with unhealthy diversions and distractions that will only feed the big scary unknown. Let go of the fear and grab onto life with both hands. Stay focused.