Distractions and Interruptions! No Wonder Nothing Ever Gets Done!

If you’ve ever tried to lose a few pounds you probably know that it’s much easier when you not only watch what you eat but also pay attention to what you bring into your home.  No matter how strong an intention you set, if the first thing your eyes hit upon when you open your refrigerator is your favorite tasting, but not necessarily waistline friendly treat, your mind can easily be distracted from its good intentions and before you know it you find yourself saying “Oh well, I guess I’ll start tomorrow.”

The same thing happens in our businesses and lives.  We wake up in the morning and say “Today’s the day!  Today I am going to write that article, create that marketing plan, call 10 prospective clients … today I’m going to follow through.  Then you sit down at your desk and somehow your best intentions disappear.  You end up doing anything else but following your plan.

There are many reasons that we don’t follow through. One that I see frequently in my clients, as well as in myself, is that we get distracted or interrupted.  Our original plans get put on hold and other things seem to take over.  For me personally, I find that this is most prevalent when I need to work on something a little more challenging than normal.

Here are seven strategies that my clients and I use when we find ourselves getting distracted.  I encourage you to give them a try:

Shut off the distractions.

1. Get the piles off your desk.  Ideally, go through the piles and decide what you’re really going to do and what to let go of but at least get the piles out of sight.
2. Shut off the instant email notification.   One of my private clients told me that this was the single most valuable thing he learned from our work together.
3. Shut off your phone.  Set aside a time to make and return phone calls. You may want to create a voice mail message that tells people that you are working with a client or on a project and that you will return calls at a certain time of day.
4. Usually our days have an ebb and flow to them.  A time when we are exposed to more distractions or interruptions.  Recognize those times and schedule more challenging work around them.

   Get support

5. Tell people what you are doing and ask them for their support by leaving you alone and holding you accountable to what you intend to do.
6. Find someone to work with…is there someone you could work with on the project?  This is kind of like hiring a personal trainer or going to the gym with a buddy. 

   Your mindset

7. Stop trying to figure out how you’re going to do it and just do it.  Oftentimes, just by getting the ball rolling you realize that it isn’t nearly as bad or as hard as you thought.

What works for you?  Add your comments and let me know!