Distractions

Phones, Facebook, Twitter, email, and much more, all are things that distract people; including me. My story begins in eighth grade when I got my first phone. With the phone in my possession, amazed by the fact that you could text people and get a response within minutes, forgot about school. With a grade average of a 95 that moment, I managed to lower it to an 85 within a week. Without even noticing I continued school thinking I was doing well, until I got my first test score. I didn't realize that something as simple as a phone could strip me of my ability to study, get my work done, and concentrate. All I could think about was how ridiculous all of it was. I was permanently stuck in this "sinkhole." That was my short story and I'm going to tell you how to steer clear from that sinkhole that so many have fallen into.

First step is to turn everything off, computer, phone, iPad, iTouch, and all that fancy technology out these days. This simple strategy has helped and continues to help me in what seems like a million situations everyday. It almost gives you a relief to know that you don't need to rush back to the phone, the computer, and everything else and respond to a beep or buzz. Beyond that, it helps your mind concentrate on what your doing. This supposed "multi-tasking" doesn't work for anyone no matter how smart you are. Trying to text, respond to an email, and get your work done all at the same time almost always ends up in a disaster.

Second step is to have designated times to do what you want instead of mixing them into your "work time." With this in mind, you know that if you get your things done well, that you can finally take a break afterward. I've realized that when you have distractions all around you, tasks that should normally take 20 mins are taking three hours. Believe it or not, I'm not even exaggerating. This is reality, and having separate times to do work and play is the best solution.

My last suggestion is simply to let go. Many people get so used to feeling the need to engage in distractions that they forget how to actually focus. This is an easy problem to fix. After talking to many people I know, just playing music in the background or fiddling with a pen while your working takes away that constant "empty feeling."

That's my perspective on things and I hope it helps those who struggle with parting themselves from distractions.

This is brought to you by Christopher, a happy Apple user.