Getting Back to Work

There are days when it feels like we are always just getting back to work.

It may be because it is July. So many people are posting photos on their trips to Hawaii, Alaska, Europe, and Asia. It feels like there is a lot of peer pressure to distract ourselves.

It may be because we are rounding the halfway point of the year. We have worked our way up to the top of the annual hill. We deserve a little coasting down the other side.

It may be because we are tired, or easily distracted. We are skillful at distracting ourselves, and surrounded by distracting people and devices.

It may be a wonder we ever get any work done at all.

We begin with the best intentions. We are going to be focused, effective, productive. It is almost as if the more focused we intend to be, the more our minds try to distract us.

For me, it is not helpful to fight against distractions directly. Taking them on, struggling to subdue them, only give distractions more strength. The more I fight to make them submit, the more energy they seem to have to distract me.

It helps me to appreciate the power of distraction and put it to work for me. I do not try to force myself not to be distracted, but find ways to distract myself from distractions. The more I can see the attractive, engaging aspects of what I do, the more I pay attention.

Looking for the ways work draws me in helps me work more effectively. It is almost as if working is a game we play to distract us from our distractions.

Which is your most seductive distraction from work?

How do you distract yourself from your distractions and get back to work?

[Image by Joopey]