When Distraction Hits

You might be thisclose to vacation.

You might be under-the-weather.

You might be dealing with a personal thing that makes everything else seem completely unimportant.

When you’re distracted, it’s hard to focus on anything more mentally strenuous than Damn You Autocorrect.

Yet, you power through trying to get stuff done. It doesn’t work. Unable to concentrate and feeling guilty because you feel like have to get something done. The only thing that gets powered through is you.

It happens.

Fighting it and feeling guilty doesn’t help.

What does help is anticipating when you’re likely to be distracted and accommodate it. Or just notice it when you are feeling distracted and explore how you can accommodate it in the moment.

Things like:

Giving yourself time on either end of a trip.
Taking a sick day when you’re sick (even when you’re self-employed).
Evaluating what really, truly must be done now, and doing it in the best, good enough way you can, working in short bursts with frequent restorative breaks.

If you aren’t sure what to do, take a moment to check in with yourself. Discover what you’re really craving deep inside and underneath that distraction and give it to yourself as best you can.

But most importantly, it’s about not fighting what is true in the moment. Just because you are distracted right now, doesn’t mean you will be five minutes or five hours or five days from now.