How to Stop Getting Distracted

We are living in the information age and the problem of getting distracted from the task at hand is very real. You get on your laptop to write a blog post and the next thing you know is that you get sucked into the vortex of cute animal videos or somebody's Mediterranean holiday photos pop up on your Instagram feed, you then look at one picture after the next, hop on to random Instagram profiles and the next thing you know is that the day is over.

First of all, let me tell you that we all have been there and we all are effected by these noisy distractions. More than we would like to admit.

Yes you can have your phone on the airplane mode, not look at your emails all the time and yes you can try the Pomodoro Technique  but I think there is another simple yet very powerful 'reality check' that you can conduct whenever you find yourself amidst distraction central.

Whenever you find yourself torn between binge watching Netflix in bed versus writing a blog post that you were meant to write yesterday, apply this 'reality check'.

Make a list of 5-6 things that are your top priority in the next 6 months. If your list has something like lose 10 kilos by October 2017. And then whatever the source of your dilemma might be; it could be going out for dinner and drinks with your very persuasive friends or binge watching your favourite TV show on Netflix versus getting your a** to the gym; Just tally your 'your why' or your vision for the next six months with your choice in the present moment. Will going out for drinks help you lose 10 kilos? No it won't. Will going to the gym help you do that? Yes it will.

The choice you need to make is right in front of you. It gets difficult when you have no clear 'whys' or a powerful vision for the next 6 months or so. If you have a big enough WHY, something you feel deeply about, then the choice is not going to be difficult to make.

Yes there will be distractions every step of the way and yes sometimes you will find yourself off the course. But if you have something specific & powerful as an anchor, then you can easily and quickly get back on track.