Part 1 – The Problem
Ever heard of a cat or dog being distracted by something that catches their attention like a squirrel, and they lose focus? That happens to humans in business as well.
The problem that we face is too many distractions that take us away from where our focus should be. When we’re doing work and multitasking, to get tasks done distractions come into play.
We may not even realize or notice we’re a victim of distraction. We commonly feel like we’re getting work done and being productive, when in reality we are not. Did you know that when we are distracted, or multitasking, that takes our IQ down to that of an eight year old child?* At that age, there’s not a lot of skill or expertise.
We need to remove some of those distractions from our day. We’re never going to get rid of them all, we’re not robots and there are things that we can’t control. Yet, as much as we can, we want to control distractions.
Business
Here is an overview of where distraction may occur in business.
STAFF
With staff coming into your office, calling, or messaging it is an interruption.
If you’re at a workplace it might be someone on site. If you’re at home, it may be your partner, children, or pet, right? Something or someone coming to distract you from what you are focused on.
TRAINING
You may have to provide training you’ve set up where a staff member needs your help. You have to take yourself away from what are doing to help them train, learn, or get something done. That’s going to be a distraction
MEETINGS
It is likely everybody has at least one meeting a week, even one a day for networking, marketing, or sales. Meetings are distracting.
Yes, they’re on your calendar, even so, you were doing something that you must now take yourself away from, then regroup and bring yourself back later. That is a distraction from your task.
Once distracted we feel like we’re back at 100 percent, yet the brain hasn’t quite refocused yet. Did you know that it takes 23 minutes for the brain to actually refocus back on a task when you’re taken away from it? **
CUSTOMERS
People joke that life would be great if it wasn’t for dealing with customers. Customers are our lifeblood, we need to make sure that we’re taking care of them. Whether they are at the counter or calling on the phone, customer service has to be paramount. It’s what keeps our business running, a necessary distraction in some cases.
We don’t always know the challenges we are going to face, and they may leave us feeling like we’re going in ten different directions distracted.
Individuals
Second; as individuals, we have lots of distractions that may include…
GADGETS
This is your phone, computer, Apps, email, texts, and notifications. There are many different gadget distractions that we deal with daily. Some gadgets or apps are great and useful, but they can still be a distraction.
ENVIRONMENT/NOISE
Working remotely neighbours or outdoor workers, construction outside, or lawn and garden maintenance, are something you probably never had to think about if you were at an office or a workplace. When you have a Zoom meeting, if you’re like me, you get ready to begin and an ice cream truck, child, or lawn mower makes noise.
Our environment creates distractions. Some we can manage and not let that shiny object draw us away. Yet in some cases, it’s “squirrel” all over again.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Have you experienced scrolling for a few minutes, then an hour later, you’re still there? I’ve done it myself. Social media is important if you use it for business. However, we need to structure the time we spend on social, and not go down a rabbit hole.
WORLD EVENTS
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, Covid 19, high gas prices, or climate change discussions are important world occurrences that we have no control over. They touch us, some more so than others.
MENTAL FOG
Oftentimes fog is caused by too much going on in your head. We realize we’re not focused because of something happening at your child’s school, someone not well in the family, or a big event coming up. There is lots that can create mental fog. When you’re not clear on what you’re doing or your head is not clear it creates mental noise in general.
MONEY
Most of the distractions around money are typically negative. It’d be wonderful to experience the distraction as a result of winning a million dollars. Unfortunately, much of the time the distraction around money is scarcity, or resolving what to do with money.
VACATION
Surprised to see vacation on my list of distractions? Vacation is something that we think of as amazing or rejuvenating. It’s wonderful, yes, and if you’re like me, you’re due for a vacation.
Now, think about what you do before and after your time away. Before we’re racing and working to get things done. We’re, trying some of that multitasking that we shouldn’t do. We can get distracted from the focus of what we actually need to do. When we come back, not only are we catching up, but our brains might still be on holiday. We work to get ourselves back into focus on what we need to accomplish.
These are some individual distractions that create challenges for us. Many of these distractions crossover into other areas as well.
Family
The following are where we often see crossover distractions occur with family.
WORK/BUSINESS
When we’re at home, we might be feeling like you should be at work. When we’re at work, we might be feeling like we should be at home. There’s that distraction that could also turn into mental fog if the situation is dire enough.
COMMITMENTS
Responsibilities that we’re not used to having on our plate, commitments such as picking the kids up at school, taking the pet to the vet, or driving someone to an appointment, are distractions that we must manage. If you have family commitments on your mind they’re going to take you away from being able to focus.
GUILT/OVERWHELM
You might suffer from guilt related to family tasks, it’s human nature. You might feel guilty being with a client when you feel you should be home, and you’re distracted.
Overwhelm is something that ties into all kinds of elements in our lives. It can be business, friends, or family. Overwhelm can create frustration from not handling things we should be able to address and distracts us once again.
What we do about all these distractions, looking at our business, individual lives, and family is changing some habits and adopting new approaches. We can’t remove distractions entirely, but there are methods we can look at to address them.
We explore keys to addressing distractions: Organization, Structure, and Wellness in Discover 3 Keys To Stop Suffering From Squirrel Syndrome In Your Business | Part 2
*Source: TalentSmart EQ
**Source: MindTools
