11:11 Waves Blog 56: Distraction

Weekly ideas to stimulate reflection, inspire new possibilities and encourage new ways of doing and being.

1. Test the water

This week’s word is: Distraction

The word distraction comes from Latin ‘dis’ which means ‘away’ and ‘trahere’ which means ‘to drag’. Distraction is the thing that takes your attention away from what you are doing or thinking about. Distraction disturbs the action.

What is your definition of distraction and how do you relate to it? Discuss the question here.

2. Experience the initial wave

To broaden your perspective, take few minutes to read the following thoughts and notice what comes up for you.

I.                  

According to sport performance coach Jean François Ménard what will determine your level of performance has solely to do with how good you are at limiting distractions. This simple equation describes the concept: LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE = Potential – Distractions.

You control the distractions, not the performance. 

II.

Forbes Business Council published an article in 2021 listing the biggest daily distractions at work. The top five included: 1. Multitasking, 2. The constant flow of incoming emails, 3. Context switching, 4. Social media, 5. Repetitive work.

III.

Distractions are not always bad, sometimes they can be helpful tools. For example, research shows that using technology distractions like video games, music or puzzles can give us strengths to tolerate negative experiences or can fortify our ability to face new challenges. Technology can be a healthy distraction, however it can go wrong when we overextend its original purpose and it becomes an escape from an uncomfortable reality. Using distractions for self-expansion builds strength, while using them for self-suppression shields us from the pain we’re avoiding. “To break free from the chains of addiction to distraction, we must learn to be comfortable with boredom and embrace moments of stillness”. Tony Schwartz

3. Dive deep

To deepen your awareness and spark new discoveries, I invite you to take few minutes this week to get clear on when and how distractions arise. Consider the things that distract you the most during any given day and explore the following questions:

• What time of the day do you tend to get most distracted?

• During what type of tasks do you tend to get most distracted?

• In what locations do you tend to get most distracted?

• What are the common ingredients of your distractions?

4. Ride your radiant wave

The antidote to distraction is intentionality and purposefully choosing where we direct our attention. This week I invite you to experiment with the Pomodoro technique, a time-management tool that structures your calendar in 25min blocks. Each block is dedicated to working on a particular task, followed by a short break. This technique helps to make tasks less daunting, improves quality and quantity of work, breaks the habit of multitasking and improves attention span and concentration. Fun fact: the technique got its name after Francesco Cirillo timed his sessions using a timer that was in the shape of a tomato. The Italian word for tomato is 'pomodoro' and thus the technique was named.