In today’s lesson, you’ll discover why distractions are like leashes, why we get distracted in the first place, and the impact distractions have on performance.
Video Lesson
-
Time: 3:34
-
Click full screen (lower right corner) to increase the size
Lesson Summary
Distractions are leashes
Leashes tell the world you aren’t free, that you’re following someone else’s lead, and that—worst of all—you’re OK with it.
Sadly, though, we all wear leashes. Between email, Facebook, phones, and a tangled web of other electronic devilries.
Even if you have a clearly defined purpose—and religiously stick to your kanban and daily routines—distractions lie around every corner, waiting to pounce.
Get this: the average person consumes up to 15.5 hours of media per day. That’s a lot of distraction. And, as you’ll soon see, even the smallest distraction can cripple your ability to get things done.
Module overview
You’ll discover:
-
The surprising reason you get distracted (and what to do about it).
-
The devastating effects distractions have on your focus. (It’s much, much worse than you think.)
-
Simple—but often overlooked—things you can do to block distractions.
-
The “magic word” that is scientifically proven to reduce distractions by at least 64%.
-
A short list of tools to block distractions—and why I don’t use them.
Why are we so distracted?
When we don’t achieve our goals, it’s easy to blame external distractions. Especially when we’re bombarded with emails, chores, social obligations, job requirements—and a gaggleplex of other distractions.
But the cold, hard truth is: you subconsciously give in to distractions because you want to feel in control of your life.
By giving in to distraction, we subconsciously assert our autonomy. Autonomy is “the universal urge to be causal agents of one’s own life and act in harmony with one’s integrated self.” (Source: Self-determination theory)
Think about that for a second.
Let’s say your taxes are due. Tomorrow. You know—deep in your bones—how important this is; however, you find yourself constantly distracted by cat pictures online, making coffee, and wandering around the house in your underwear. This, in its purest form, is your subconscious asserting your autonomy. In essence, you’re saying to yourself, “Hey, I don’t need to pay my taxes; I’m clipping my toenails because that’s what I want to do.”
And it gets worse. We even assert our autonomy on tasks we’ve assigned ourselves, which is about as strange—and effective—as flipping yourself off. But we do it anyway.
But what’s a little distraction? It can’t hurt that much, right?
Distractions impact on performance
Does distraction affect performance? And if so, how long does the distraction have to be?
A study published in Journal of Experimental Psychology investigated these questions—and its findings were shocking.
In the study, subjects were asked to complete simple tasks on a computer. While they worked, an interruption would appear on their screen, and researchers logged how many mistakes people made once they returned to the task.
The results were astonishing. Researchers found that:
-
interruptions averaging 2.8 seconds doubled the number of mistakes;
-
interruptions averaging 4.4 seconds tripled them.
Even a simple distraction—lasting less than 5 seconds—can triple the amount of errors you make.
Key takeaway: Block distractions to reduce mistakes throughout the day
10x Community
Leave a comment, share a personal story, or ask a question. We read each and every comment. – Adam and Darcie
