Don't Let the Distractions Distract You
I spent yesterday scrolling through social media a little too much. I had rationalized that I needed to be informed and rightfully so. Over the past week, I’ve watched more news and political media than I have in the last 12 months combined. It was important – early in this quarantine – that I understand just what was going on and what we were up against.
However, yesterday I could feel the nerves and angst starting to rise after developing a habit of looking for the news and politics whenever I had a free second. After spending the evening worrying about what could happen, I realized that it was doing me absolutely no good to put all this negative media in my mind. It was important at one time to understand what we needed to do remain safe, to get what we need, and to help others. But last night, consuming that information reached a point of saturation. Being informed was no longer helping, it was actually hurting me.
I decided last night that I needed to guard what I feed my mind better now that I have a clearer picture of what I can and can’t do during this pandemic. So I woke up this morning and created a list of the 3 most important things I can do during this pandemic to stay safe and continue to move forward. I love setting goals and getting clear with my plans. It felt good to iron-out my priorities since they are much different than they were a couple weeks ago. Here are my Quarantine Priorities
Limited Exposer, great hygiene, and good nutrition
Lead my family, Self-discipline and a positive attitude
Stay connected, help others, and grow personally
With so many distractions out there, I was having a hard time staying on track and keeping my mind on the things I need to do at this time. Having a list of priorities helps me make decisions on what to do with my time and helps remind me of what I need to focus on. If what I’m reading, listening to, or doing isn’t in line with my 3 priorities, then I stop and find something that does line up.
I went a step further and came up with a self-talk script. One sentence I say to myself when I need some help staying disciplined. I also wrote out a couple of sentences to keep me on the right path during the pandemic. I also jotted down a couple goals for: 1) Family, 2) Personal, and 3) Work. About 2-3 for each area.
Like I’ve stated before, my mind as a tendency to get negative and anxious about whatever is going on, so I have to be very intentional about how I live my life. Writing down my thoughts and plans help reduce the anxiety and uncertainty and force me to really think about what’s important to me and what actions I need to take to ensure that I stay on track with those priorities.
I know there are people out there struggling with the same things and I wanted to share my process. It’s no different than any other set of circumstances. Don’t let the distractions distract you! Decide what’s important to you and then act in line with what you want to do. If you are doing something (scrolling through social media looking for negative information) that’s not in line with your priorities, then stop and do something that is in line with your priorities. The act of getting my priorities on paper felt incredible. Writing down my priorities makes self-discipline so much easier because what I want to do and what I need to do are closer together.
I hope this helps and please reach out to me if you want to know more on my process. I know it may not work for everyone, but hopefully there’s something in there you can use to make your day better. Be safe out there!
“The Best is Yet to Come”