Lights, camera, FOCUS!
Have you ever walked into a classroom filled with children, all having their own conversations and you attempt to silence them, but you can’t because they can’t hear you? Sometimes life gets a bit noisy and you might feel overwhelmed with the burdens of everyday life. Stress drains the life out of you, literally.
Stress can exhaust you more than physical work. And that’s probably the reason why sometimes I get home and I want to do nothing but lie down and "relax". My go to form of "relaxation" is either Netflix or Viki, and it’s hard to keep track of the time that goes by when your favorite or new series is readily available at the touch of a button. Those apps are very addictive, to the point where if I start a new series, it makes me want to go home and watch it every day until I finish it.
When I do binge (staying hooked on a show for hours nonstop) on a series, I tend to ignore my regular routine. My regular routine when I’m not bingeing is being productive with things like, prep my blog posts, prep emails for the business email lists, practice a new language on my phone, or like I’m currently doing - build a website. All these things can easily occupy my time until 9pm or 10pm. The binge can make you slip into a rut. Constantly ignoring a productive routine will make it even harder to get back on track and shake off the rut ( a series of repeated habits that are usually boring or unproductive).
So what do you do when you’re stuck in a rut and want to get out of it, be more productive, and ignore all the distractions? My answer has two parts. One, you have to decide that you want to get out of the rut, if you’re mind isn’t sold on the idea then your body won’t be either. Two, you need to take action, and that would require you to intentionally pick up back your old routine. So how does it work in real life?
For me it means intentionally closing the Viki app and ignoring notifications when a recommended series is being advertised. It means, getting home and not going straight into my bed or chair to "relax ", instead I stay in the office and try to find some type of work to do. Is it easy? In theory yes, but putting in that mental effort to remain focus and to intentionally change and get back into your productive state of mind requires more energy. But it sure isn’t impossible. We are programmed to be monotonous. We’re creatures of habit, but when we pick up bad habits then change is required, for both our mental and physical well being. Mind over matter.
