This idea of “starving distractions” keeps popping up all around me.
I don’t recall where I first heard “starve what keep you stranded, feed what makes you fly” but I adore it.
Then, yesterday on Instagram, I read “feed your mind, starve distractions“.
If you’d rather listen to this post than read it, please click here.
In Tribe of Mentors, Steven Pressfield has some strong words about distraction.
“…the Internet. Social media. That wonderland where we can flit from one superficial, jerkoff distraction to another, always remaining on the surface, never going deeper than an inch. Real work and real satisfaction come from the opposite of what the web provides. They come from going deep into something…”
See? It’s everywhere.
It’s also great advice.
No matter how good our intentions are or how much we want to create change, if we continue to give in to distractions, we will struggle to get where we’re trying to go.
One of the questions I’ll be asking myself every day for the month of January is:
How can I remove or reduce distractions today?
I think it’s important to frame the question in terms of the day at hand instead of overall. First, that brings your attention to the present versus projecting it onto the future. Second, forces your answers to be immediate & tactical instead of theoretical.
To begin to implement this strategy of reducing distractions, first you have to know what is distracting you.
What takes your attention away from doing the things that will move you forward?
- Social media?
- Television?
- Video games?
- Comparison?
- Sleeping in?
Know what these are for you.
Then, ask yourself what you are able & willing to do today to reduce or remove your biggest distractions.
Here’s what that often means to me:
- Not turning on the television until after 8pm
- Adhering to specific windows of time where I will look at or respond to emails
- Closing Facebook & Instagram
I’m not suggesting those strategies will work for you, but I’m certain you can identify a few that work do!
2018: Starve distractions.
Starve what keeps you stranded. Feed what makes you fly.