Using Action to Overcome Distraction

Using Action to Overcome Distraction
Written by Aush Chatman

I am so easily distracted, what is interesting to me is I CHOOSE my distractions most of the time. Most of my distractions come through some kind of electronic device, and all of those devices require me to take a step or two to turn them on and veg out with them. They do not turn on by themselves.

So these self-induced distractions are really under my control. It is 100% on me to be scrolling through IG for an hour.

I have found a LOT of success personally to help myself through this by using action to overcome distraction, it works because it rhymes btw. When I have something to do that is responsibility related that I may not necessarily want to do. For me usually I’d rather play a game on my phone or scroll through Instagram or watch the next episode of “The Last Dance” Michael Jordan doc (which is on as I write this!). 

Instead of immediately grabbing my phone I do three things that fall on the productive side of things in my mind. I do each thing for 60 seconds only so it is brief. It is amazing how this helps me refocus and just go do the thing I was supposed to do in the first place, and it only cost me three minutes instead of the WHOLE NIGHT!

For me I have been doing these three things:

1. 60 seconds Plank Hold
2. 60 seconds Hollow Hold
3. 60 seconds Nasal Breathing

I settled on these for me for simple reasons: Plank, because my shoulders are wonky and I like static holds to work on shoulder structure. Hollow, to work on my gut of course! And nasal breathing to refocus and calm down after the 2 mins of work I just did, and to meditate on what I need to do and marrying what I need to do with the calm I feel while breathing so there is less anxiety associated with the responsibility.

This has worked really well for me, not 100% all the time, but much better than my hit average before, drastically!

We all have to deal with distraction, how do you deal with it? This is a problem area for me so I would LOVE to hear what you do. Do you already do something similar to this? I also thought about doing the dishes or something of that nature, but they aren’t always dirty and if they are, they probably require more than 60s and I really wanted things that I could start and finish, just for the dopamine hit!  Let me know what you do or if this strategy helps you!