You are currently working on “learning how to focus” and you might just be wondering what it is that is said about focus and how to keep it.
That project you are working on may even be a big project that seems to require a lot of your time and taking way longer than you had hoped.
If you were here on my channel last week, you may have seen the article on Learning To Focus where I listed off the top 15 things to help you learn to focus. This is the first one: Eliminating Distractions.
Let’s list some things that could be distractions for you. Your cell phone may be one of them. Do you tend to answer your phone every time it rings, no matter what you may be in the middle of? Are you always looking at your phone when it chimes in with a notification sound? What about those Social Media Apps that most of us seem to have? Is there one in particular that seems to keep your attention on and off all day? How about that friend who may call and just wants to talk about anything and everything non important at that time? A co-worker wants to gab, or go for coffee, or just hang out with you no matter what you are working on? How about that person who calls to supposedly talk with you on the phone and all they do is breath on the phone, no conversation is even being had?
Any of these sound familiar to you? I will admit that each and every one of those I have experienced in my life at one time or another. They do become very big distractions if you allow them to.
The cell phone or just the phone. I want to specifically speak on this one today. I also want to recommend that you let your loved ones know about this project and how important it is that you get it completed. This way you can work together as a team and cutback on some of the phone distractions.
Did you know that your phone is your phone? Be it your cell phone or your office phone. Did you also know that since it is your phone, you have the right to NOT answer it. Especially if it is NOT a good time for you to. It really is ok to let it go to voicemail. Isn’t that why we have voicemail in the first place?
I have a friend of mine who has their phone set to only allow certain calls to come through. You know, the “could be an emergency” phone calls. Especially for those of us who may be taking care of an elderly family member, may have young children at home, the daycare or babysitter may need to reach you. I get it, those things are real and they can and sometimes do occur. Those are the ones you let ring through and answer right away.
Let me share something with you that I use to do when I was attending different seminars and business meetings: I told my children that if they absolutely needed me they were to call the hotel or meeting place I was at and get a member of the staff to call me out of the meeting. Then I told them that if I ever get that kind of a call, it had better be an emergency and NOT a question of what can I eat, what can I play with, or can I go with so and so, because those were not emergency’s. It had better be a call saying that the police, fire department, or ambulance were at the house, because THAT WAS AN Emergency. This was me, this was what I did. Every family will have different ways of handling these things. My kids knew that these meetings were important for our family and that I was not “hanging out with friends”. Through these meetings we were creating a legacy for our family. The kids knew this and respected it.
I also do not always answer my phone. There are only certain calls I take when they come in. All others can leave me a message or I will call them back when I get a break in what I am doing. This would drive some of my family crazy because I did not answer my phone every time it rang. Guess what…..That was a distraction for me. Once I learned who was calling because it was important and who was calling just because, I then started to answer MY PHONE accordingly. Focus. Remember. Eliminating Distractions. Phone calls can be a distraction. Especially if you are not expecting them.
It is YOUR PHONE, You do not have to answer it every time it rings. You get to choose when you answer your phone and when you do not. Who you will call back and who you will not. Don’t allow Your Phone to be one of your distractions.
Another thing I do with most of my friends is; set a day and time for us to meet on the phone, or on zoom, or whatever device we choose for a designated time of talking (30 minutes, 1 hour, whatever time we established together) where we can just talk and talk and talk about anything and everything. I have found this to be respectful of both parties. Friends are busy too. Let’s face it, we all have busy lives these days.
Do what works best for YOU! It is Your Life, Your Project, Your Time! Time is Money!
If you find that phones are one of your distractions may you find some answers in what I have shared with you from my own personal experience.