“Focus is often a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.” – John Carmack
Distractions. Our world has become a constant feed of information and entertainment. We take our phones with us everywhere we go. We connect to the internet wirelessly from thousands of locations. We are fed messages relentlessly from advertisements on nearly every flat surface. And we are bombarded with a 24-hour news cycle.
Each bit of information enters our mind with one goal: Gain control of our attention and resources.
With so much information battling for space in our mind, it’s no wonder our attention span has been steadily shrinking. In The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains, Nicholas Carr points out that in 2000, the average amount of time we could stay focused on one task without our mind wandering to something new was 12 seconds. Today, it’s 8 seconds.
The information age may be literally rewiring our brains.
Certainly these types of distractions are ones that we all relate to on some level. But I often wonder if these small diversions might not be nearly as harmful to our lives as the larger distractions that drive us away from accomplishing our most significant goals.
The trivial-information-overload distractions may pull our attention from the work right in front of us, but the larger distractions in life may keep us from realizing the life we truly desire to live… and yet, these distractions go virtually unnoticed.
For example, the distraction of a lucrative and powerful career has the opportunity to distract us from using our talents to benefit our immediate community. The distraction of maintaining a large and perfect home may pull us from caring for the people living in it. The urge to check up on our Facebook friends steals more of our time than the friends right in front of us. And the opportunity to spend money on newer and trendier possessions may divert us from using it to accomplish a greater good in this world. In each case, the distraction keeps us from accomplishing a greater significance with our lives.
These are the distractions that cause irreversible harm in our lives. Unfortunately, too often, they go unnoticed. Our lives go unevaluated. As a result, we are lured by them away from true significance in our lives. And our greatest goals go unmet.
How then, do we recognize these large—yet subtle—distractions in our lives? How do we regularly assess the path of our lives to ensure that we are seeking and investing into the most significant? Perhaps it’s not as hard as we imagine. Maybe it only requires a little intentionality and effort. And often times, realizing the need is the first step.
Additionally, consider committing time and effort to one of these helpful keys to identify the presence of significant distractions in our lives:
1. Be mindful of the culture we’re swimming in. All around us, nearly every moment of the day, messages are battling for space in our minds. They are promoting products, messages, and world-views. Often times, the urgent voices will be far louder than the significant ones. Identify both the messages and their source. And make intentional decisions because of it.
2. Pause and reflect. Next time you desire to make a purchase, check Facebook, work late, or engage in a habit that controls you… pause. Consider the urge and reflect upon it. Is it really the most effective use of your time/money? Or is there something more significant you can accomplish with your limited resources?
3. Review and record. Commit to journaling your time and/or financial outlay over the course of one week. Each evening, spend 5-10 minutes to make some rough notes on your day. How much time did I spend working? How much energy did I put towards my family, my friends, or my faith? To what end did I use my financial resources this week? The hard evidence of your life’s focus will become easy to diagnose and difficult to argue with when you see it on paper.
4. Get some outside perspective. Ask a trusted friend, a spouse, or family member to speak into your life. Consider asking this simple question, “Hey, I’ve been doing some life evaluation lately. Have you noticed any unhealthy habits in my life?” When they answer, don’t get defensive. Instead, search deeply for the truth in their response.
5. Find time alone. Begin to practice moments of solitude away from the distractions of this world. The more you cultivate this practice, the more comfortable you’ll become with it. And the more comfortable you become with it, the more you’ll allow the silence to reveal your true heart, desires, and intentions.
6. Seek some inspiration. Surround yourself with people who are living out your goals. Surround yourself with people who are accomplishing the greater goods with their lives. You’ll find numerous people online who can encourage you from a distance. But they’ll never replace the interpersonal interaction with a friend right in front of you. Seek them out.
7. Live with fewer possessions. Often times, the things we own become far more of a distraction to our lives than we realize. We spend time and money researching them, purchasing them, organizing them, cleaning them, fixing them, discarding them, and replacing them. Our possessions often add more burden to our life than benefit. And you’ll never fully realize the benefits of living with less, until you actually choose to pursue it.
There is little doubt our world is filled with distractions – it always has been. And there is little doubt that those who achieve the greatest significance in life learn to manage them effectively. It is certainly worth the investment to recognize them in our lives and make the necessary life adjustments… after all, we only get one shot at it.
Linda Luke says
Even as I embrace simple living at a deeper and deeper level, I am aware of how easily I am distracted by things on the internet. I am a life coach and work mostly by phone and online so it is not easy to avoid all of the seductive things before me. I try to convince myself that all of the email and social media are related to marketing my business, but feel compelled to check them often just to see what is going on.
While I do a good job of filtering through and focusing what is in alignment with my values and goals, I feel a sense of wasted time. I am also aware of the shallowness of how my mind is working. I have knowledge about many, many things that I am not an expert in. My mind has become flat.
Thanks for sharing this post. Your suggestions are very helpful and many of us needed the reminder.
Christina says
Thank you for your words. They are especially penetrating during a time of crisis. My father is law had a stroke and we are in the hospital out of town with him as he is going downhill after 4 days. In the end of life, it is not all we possess or all we accomplished that matters, it is the inner peace and connection to the Lord that determines where we will land once the trial passes.
Christina says
Thank you for your words. They are especially penetrating during a time of crisis. My father is law had a stroke and we are in the hospital out of town with him as he is going downhill after 4 days. In the end of life, it is not all we possess or all we accomplished that matters, it is the inner peace and connection to the Lord that determines where we will land one the trial passes.
NMPatricia says
Excellent post. I just noticed it was while ago. But so timely all the time.
Jake Walter says
As you stated, one way to minimize is to remove unnecessary distractions. I once spent most of my time as a devout Christian, spending large amounts of time with the Bible and a large group of those that thought as I did. After volunteering to help feed homeless with a non-believing friend I came to the realization that I could easily devote more time to helping others without spending large amounts of time with those that talked the talk but did little, other than profess their faith. I now feel much more fulfilled than before by helping in the actual physical world and do not have to use up large portions of my time and mental capacity trying to come to terms with a belief system based on some non-present deity. It was a very unexpected weight lifted of my shoulders and I fell much healthier without it.
Cindy says
I recently took the Facebook app off my phone. The only think I miss is being able to post photos to Facebook. That may be good. It takes a few more steps. I feel physically and mentally better after doing this two weeks ago.
Yesterday, I moved to a new work station. Even though it is next to the printer, it has far fewer distractions.
Shirly Oh says
Hi Joshua, I have been following your work for sometime and recently I have been connecting with your writing on a different level. Every article seems to be directing to the challenges that I am facing right now and I am very grateful for your insights and tips. I love the opening quote – focus, deciding on the things that I am not going to do. I am a truly believer of minimalism and I applaud the great work you are doing. Thank you!
Tyler says
Your article is a good one, but it doesn’t go far enough. Consider there are phenomenons in this world that are bona fide addictions. We scarcely call them that out of fear of an “addict” label, but they are definitely distractions from greater purpose.
Jim says
I agree with this post. I’ve found myself engaging in technology to be able to function more thoughout the day. I recently purchased a new smart phone, and IPad. My intention is to be able to accomplish more thru my day, so I can disconnect when I’m not working.
However, I can remember a time, not that long ago when all I did was read books and meditate on what was most important to me. People told me a needed to let go of some of that, so I’m going to try to find the balance in it all.
But I still wonder from time to time, how did we ever survive or accomplish things before computors. lol
Thank you Josh for continue to remind us where our focus needs to be.
josephine_b says
All of the points you’ve made feel so relevant as we transition ourselves out of this “produce, produce!” industrial revolution mindset. I use the term “my head is full” a lot and feel guilty whenever I try to give myself time to reset. I am going to work on allowing myself some downtime. My guess is I’m not alone in my struggle.
The points I will be sure to underscore and especially put into practice are Pause and Reflect, Moments of Solitude and Seek Inspiration.
Thank you for the article (found via qwitr.org). It was very much needed.