“Becoming indistractable…”

Shared by Breanne Smedley

A couple weeks ago, I was feeling “on it!”

Morning routine was in check.
Reading daily.
Writing daily.
GRIT workouts scheduled and executed.
Teaching all day, but feeling energized and connected to students.
Evening routine on point, bed at a reasonable hour.

Most of this came because I worked hard to design my environment to make it happen.

Routines, boundaries, and “rules” in place to help me stay focused.

Eliminate distractions that can get me off track.

Well, that all got turned upside down last week.
Told to stay home.
No work.
No going out.

Last week, in theory, should have given me MORE time to accomplish all the projects that I’ve been working on.

MORE time to workout.
MORE time to read.
MORE time with family.

Right?

Then, why did it feel like I got almost nothing accomplished?

(Well, besides launching and running my first webinar series reaching over 200 athletes, and kicking off a new Elite Competitor Program of 15 girls..)

So, it’s not like I accomplished NOTHING.

But, here’s what also happened…

My screen time usage over doubled. (Some of my players introduced me to TikTok…trust me when I say don’t download it unless you want to burn a few hours and only feel like minutes went by).

I went to bed late and woke up late.
Hardly any reading or writing.
It felt like a struggle to fit my GRIT workouts into my day (which have provided me so much consistency over the past 6 months).

What gives?!

Now, finally hitting a stride at the end of week #2, I see clearly what it was:

Lack of routine
Distractions

Problem #1 was resolved right away.

Brett and I sat down and created a weekly routine, complete with tag-team parenting shifts, scheduled workouts, and time blocking when we’d both work.

Problem #2 has been harder.

There are so many distractions at home.

Food.
The messy kitchen that I can’t wait to deep clean.
The phone.
Checking, checking, checking.
“Oh, another alert!”
What’s going on with Coronavirus? Better check..

I’ve realized, even more now, that the ability to focus is a great superpower.

To be “indistractable” when I have time to work.
Time to clean.
Time to read.
Time to be with family.
Time to be alone.
To be fully present in what I’m doing…

…is easier said than done.

I have to give myself boundaries like I give my 2-year-old.

Phone on airplane mode, out of sight.
Limits on social media.
Timer set to accomplish one task.
Check and respond to email at specific times.

Distractions are everywhere.

My lesser self loves to get swept away checking “one more thing.”

As Nir Eyal, the author of the book Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, writes:

“If you care about your work, your family, and your physical and mental well-being, you must learn to become indistractable.”

Now, more than ever, the learning curve on the way to becoming indistractable is steep!

But, it’s worth the struggle.

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#DaringlyResilient

#MindfullyEvolving

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