“If you truly have the desire to create something powerful, your mindless distractions must be retired and replaced with meaningful actions.”
In today’s fast-paced world, distractions are all around us. From social media notifications to the constant barrage of emails and text messages, it can be challenging to stay focused on what truly matters. Whether you’re trying to complete a work project, study for an exam, or simply relax and unwind, distractions can prevent you from achieving your goals and living your best life. This post will explore the different types of distractions and how they can impact our productivity and well-being. We’ll also discuss practical strategies for minimizing distractions and staying focused on what matters most, so you can achieve your goals and live a more fulfilling life.
You can’t manage what you can’t measure. We must first understand and visualize the types of distractions we encounter in our daily lives.
External and Obvious Distractions (The Flies)
External and Obvious distractions can be like pesky flies buzzing around your head. They’re annoying but easy enough to swat away. But let’s face it, you’re often the one responsible for letting these distractions into your life in the first place, and that’s what’s holding you back from achieving your goals.
If you’re trying to stick to a diet, take a look at how much Coke and Doritos you have in your kitchen. If you’re struggling to focus on your studies, check how many cute animal shorts tabs you have open on your browser. And if you’re trying to quit masturbating, why the hell do you still have Pornhub in your favorites? These distractions may seem easy to get rid of, but too often people invite them in with open arms.
The solution is clear: eliminating the cue is the first step to getting rid of these distractions. Want to lose weight? Don’t even bother browsing the junk food aisle when grocery shopping. Need to study for a final exam? Set your phone to Do Not Disturb and close all other unrelated tabs. Want to quit porn? Unfollow those sexy Instagram models and cleanse your mind.
Eliminating cues is an effective way to eliminate bad habits and distractions that hinder us from achieving our goals. By taking control of our environment, we can remove the temptations that lead us astray and create a pathway to success.
Internal and Obvious Distractions (The Monkey)
Internal and Obvious distractions are like monkeys in your mind, causing havoc on your internal state — hunger, thirst, fatigue, and stress. They can be tough to handle at the moment.
Yet, oftentimes, these distractions are the direct result of your lifestyle choices. In fact, your body is incredibly shapable and adaptable to adjust to changes in your lifestyle, so that you can tame the monkey and take charge of your life.
Think about it:
Being productive → satisfaction and fulfillment
Binging on anything → dopamine surge and can get you hooked
Eating clean → a lean and fit body
Eating like Nikocado → looking like Nikocado
See the pattern: the input determines the output. Therefore, it’s your responsibility to regulate your lifestyle in order to optimize your internal state, so that your body and mind won’t mess with you like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. Achieving this physical and mental state requires daily effort, but the benefits in the long run are phenomenal.
Now, don’t get me wrong — you still need to listen to and take care of the signals your body and mind are giving you. However, by taking control of the input, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of experiencing those pesky signals in the first place. This means being mindful of what you eat, how you move, and how you manage your stress levels. It also means being aware of your mental state and proactively taking steps to maintain a positive vibe. By doing so, you can create an internal state that fosters health and well-being, rather than one that constantly triggers unwanted signals. Take charge of your lifestyle, and witness the transformation of your body and mind into the best version of yourself.
External and Hidden Distraction (Then Chameleons)
External and Hidden distractions are like chameleons, blending in with your environment. They include everything subtle in your surroundings that prevents you from reaching your goals. From your messy work table with stinky leftover food and used tissue paper on top, to the unfinished assignment due tomorrow that you haven’t even started. This type of distraction does not directly prevent you from achieving your goal, but it occupies your mind and consumes your limited energy in subtle ways.
This kind of distraction is more complicated and can be divided into controllable and uncontrollable. Controllable External Hidden Distractions (CEHD) often relate to responsibilities. If you have something undone, it can hide in your brain and hang around without you noticing it. Before you organize or complete the task, it steals your energy and prevents you from being fully concentrated.
Uncontrollable External Hidden Distractions (UEHD) occupy your mind but are beyond your control. Examples include politics, environmental hazards, which team will win the league, or who your favorite celebrity will date.
Honestly, why should you care about these things? While it’s perfectly fine to have your own interests and habits, emotionally investing in something unrelated to you is a waste of time and energy.
Sports casts often use phrases like “WE did a good job this game, but it will be hard against Team XXX in the next match” or “WE are training hard this time, let’s fight for the championship.”
But when did YOU do a good job? When did YOU train hard? When did the pronoun “WE” suddenly become relevant to your own personal accomplishments?
Instead, focus on the things you can control in your life, such as your own actions and goals. You can achieve greater success and fulfillment in life by directing your energy toward what you can control.
Internal and Hidden Distraction (The Whale)
Internal and Hidden distractions act like a whale, it dives deep inside your mind and sometimes emerges and creates a whirlpool that swirls your mind in an endless loop, yet they originate from within ourselves and necessitate deep introspection. Examples of internal distractions include negative self-talk, self-doubt, and fear of failure, all of which can hinder our progress toward our goals.
This type of distraction is the most devilish of all, as it can be difficult to detect and eliminate. Think about the last time you heard the voice in your head telling you to procrastinate or the last time your mind brought up painful memories of your childhood, or past traumas related to your ex. It can be a constant struggle to silence these distractions, as a part of our mind may be attempting to protect us from future harm by bringing up past hurts. However, it is crucial to recognize and combat these internal distractions.
Mindfulness is an essential tool for conquering internal distractions. You may have heard the suggestion to practice mindfulness many times, but it is only through consistent practice that you will see results. Mindfulness encompasses more than just meditation — being mindful and present in every moment is the key to success. Learn to appreciate the subtle things in life: take a bath without loud music, savor your food, and engage in meaningful conversations without distractions from your phone. While many of us know the answer, it can be challenging to overcome detrimental mental states and always be mindful.
I wish I could give you a secret formula, but as someone who struggled with negative self-talk for three years, I can attest that being mindful is critical for self-healing. Consistent mindfulness practice is essential for personal growth and fulfillment.
Shin-sight
As I reflect on my previous writings, I wonder if some of the topics were too advanced for beginners. So, I’ll take a new approach and explore different topics at varying levels of complexity. Today, I’m focusing on the issue of distraction that affects us all, and I want to talk about how it can be hard to focus when we have negative thoughts and memories that pop up unexpectedly. But, with effort and determination, we can overcome these distractions and find peace.
Just like you, I have struggled to overcome the hardest distraction of them all: internal and hidden distractions. Often, a multitude of voices in my head would trigger reminders of past traumas, causing me to lose focus on the task at hand, be it writing, exercising, or any other endeavor. Thankfully everything has become a lot better, I hope everyone who is suffering from this kind of distraction will heal eventually as well.
