Productive Distraction

I'm really good at distracting myself with "other important work tasks."  For example, I opened my laptop today with the sole intention of writing this blog post. Instead, what I did first was spend about 20-30 minutes going down the tech rabbit hole to try and figure out how to get my RSS feed to automatically send my subscribers a new email every time I post. 

I thought I had it down, I researched and found the steps - but my platform doesn't speak the same language as the steps I found and I'm at a loss. Multiple google searches and chat bot sessions later, I'm no further and it's Saturday, so I have to wait until Monday to talk to a real person.

All that is to say that my initially thought of "Oh, I'll set this up before I post the blog so my subscribers get it" instead of sticking to my original intention to open my laptop and write set me up for a common pattern I've had where I'm rushing to get the thing I intended to do done because I got distracted by other tasks.

Is it important that I get this RSS email thing figured out? Yes.

Is it vital to me completing the intended task? No.

And this pattern can set me up for those not so fun feelings over overwhelm and the negative self talk that can follow: I'm so disorganized, my post is going to suck now that I have less time, I'm always getting in my own way, I'm a failure at life.

None of which are true, of course. Well, maybe this isn't the best blog post I've ever written, but it certainly will still have some meaning and hopefully value.

Because the important thing is that I notice the pattern, that I can catch myself in the middle of a distraction, and I can pause and shift. I can decide in the next moment to put the RSS debacle down until I have a more focused time to troubleshoot it, and I can pick up this blog and begin.

And that's just what I did. 

So if you find yourself being distracted--even by other productive tasks (that's my distraction of choice, I am SO good at making lists and answering emails), just start with the noticing, then the choosing, and please, please, please let go of that negative self talk that wants to come along for the ride. We don't need it. It doesn't help us get shit done, anyway.