I don’t know about you, but I am easily distracted. It doesn’t take much either. I start each day with the best intentions to stay on track, but it’s a matter of moments when something pulls me in a direction I didn’t intend. Part of this constant shifting is because it’s how I’m wired. I have always been someone who is enamored by a multitude of stimuli striking at the same time. I’ve always been comfortable living like this. It is my “normal.”
This doesn’t include the external items that get my attention. Social media, streaming programming, and a multitude of conversations at home, work, and online. Not one of them is the same. Each one demands time and a splintered focus. Add to this the reality that not one of them follows a predictable pattern. You may think one conversation will only happen for a few minutes of your day. Then, when you finish it, you see that an hour has flown by. You hadn’t intended for that to be the case, but it happened. The other person(s) involved may have even entered into the conversation with their own timeframe planned out without even asking you.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t say that I follow a playbook or a certain cadence when these distractions hit. I tend to be reactionary. Each person who needs your time and attention treats the item(s) they would like to discuss as THE priority of the day, at least for them. In fact, if you choose not to engage with them for viable reasons and ask for a moment to get something accomplished, just so you can see at least one thing marked off your list, you may ruin their day. Literally. If nothing else, they’ll tell you it did.
Please understand that I’m sharing the example of a regular day, not as a complaint, but as the reality of every person I know. What I described above is not unique to me. I find it to be how we each try to move throughout our days. We live in a fragmented world filled with an endless number of distractions. Now, on top of this, add in your personal thoughts. I don’t know about you, but I have thousands of thoughts that run through my mind on a regular basis. They’re yet another distraction.
Image from Sébestian Dubois of DeveloPassion – https://www.dsebastien.net/you-need-a-fourth-place-a-place-to-think/
The difference is that I choose to capture my thoughts. With all that is constantly swirling around me, I find that if I don’t capture my thoughts, then I may miss an idea that may truly change how work is done. What’s challenging about capturing your thoughts is that everyone tries to share their method with you as an exclusive approach, which should never be deviated from. If you’re a To-Do list person, then everyone else should be. It works for you, so it must automatically work for others !!
My prior boss used to write his TWIB notes (referencing This Week in Baseball) in a notebook that he carried around with him. In one of our check-in meetings, he gave me a notebook and told me I needed to follow his lead. It didn’t work. It’s a lesson we all need to learn from. Yes, you should have a method to capture your thoughts. However, it needs to be YOUR method, and not others. Your thoughts are unique. Therefore, your method to keep track of them should be as well.
I choose to use multiple notebooks, all with different themes. I affix stickers to the notebooks so I remember what theme, or set of ideas, lies within their pages. I also use multiple flip charts positioned all over my office. Each page includes several colors, doodles, and random notes. Add to this that I write a weekly newsletter, a weekly (mostly) blog, and I’ve written some books. Thoughts keep pouring out regardless of this multifaceted attempt to catch everything.
The key to remember is to take the time to jot down your great ideas in the midst of the whirlwind of the world of distractions we live in. Who knows? You may capture one thing that makes a significant difference for you personally or professionally. Find your method. Start grabbing those snippets that come to mind. It will help you find a way to move easily through all of the distractions that pull you in infinite directions.
