Eliminating Distractions

 

Eliminating Distractions

    My biggest hurdle has been procrastination. Rather it is for a genuine reason or if I just am not in the mood, I tend to put my work on the back burner. The truth is that I want to hold myself more accountable. I get in an ugly mood when I start to feel disappointed in my own actions. 

    One of the easiest ways for me to not procrastinate is by removing things that can throw my focus. I remove these things in three different ways

1. Physically Removing Item 

    Trying to do work in an environment that is cluttered will never work. This is not to say you should go reorganize your whole room or office. That can just mean straightening up your desk, vacuuming the floor, and disinfecting your keyboard and mouse before you start to work. It also helps to make rules like no eating at your workspace. This is a must for me because I tend to spill water, juices, and sometimes even coffee over when I'm in the zone and not careful.

 When you remove food from the reachable areas, it will give you a reason to take a much-deserved break. But, it's also important to keep predetermine your break time. For example if you've decided to work for six hours, you should give yourself at least two quick breaks and a lunch time away from your desk or outside in the sun. This should minimize distractions and help you stay in the zone when it's needed. 

    2. Silencing the noise around me

      Silencing the noise around us can be difficult. Especially, if you live with others or have children. Although I have a child and currently live with family, we are all in school so, there is a time  when the house is completely silent for hours. Mornings until around 2pm in my house is the best time for me to get work done. That may look different for you but there are always options such as libraries, bookstores, and coffeeshops. When I feel I need to in a an alternative place. I make sure I have my headphones. 

    Music can sometimes be distracting or helpful depending on the person. This playlist is the only thing I can listen to when I am trying to honne in on my work. When I tried listening to jazz, I couldn't focus. I also tried classical but I would start getting curious about every song. Lastly I tried listening to the lullabye versions of songs I already knew but I would start singing the lyrics. I finally decided on this kind of playlist because It has the most consistency with instruments and does not change much in tempo. Some people can't listen to music at all and need complete silence. It's best to find what works for you and to stick to it. 

3.Silencing the Noise in my head

    As for silencing the noise in my head, that just means I need to pray before I work. As you get to know your more productive side, you'll soon find out that your brain can run a thousands miles per minute in the most crucial moments. This has been a tough one for me. When I first started trying to sit down and write down the visions I had for the company I had all these amazing thoughts in my head and ideas of how it could work. Along with the excitement I had just as many doubts and fears of what could go wrong. After years of letting doubts and lies waste my time I decided that it would be best that I pray before I start anything. After all, I can do none of this without God. This reminds me of the scripture Philippians 4:6-7 "6 Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." When I started praying before work, my thoughts would be much more clearer than before. I don't overthink anything and I definitely have more confidence in what I am doing. 

    Eliminating Distractions can seem like a huge task for some. Especially if you deal with depression. But the best way to get started is through prayer. If you find it hard to even get up to clear off a space to get some work done, try praying. If all you can do is clear a space after that, then that is completely fine. Take things one day at a time and give yourself credit for the small things. I believe in y'all and I pray procrastination will find the nearest exit and never come back.