Why we get distracted
Last week I shared the concepts of calendaring and keeping an appointment you make with yourself the same way you would as if it was with someone else. I acknowledge that in practice that is a lot easier said than done, and how you can choose to think about that. Now it’s time to explore why there’s a disconnect and how to recognize and counteract it when it happens.
There is what you put on your calendar: “write blog post Sunday 10-11a” and then there is what you find yourself doing Sunday from 10-11a. In my case last Sunday, that was tidying up my kitchen, swiping on Tinder, chatting with friends on WhatsApp, and checking email. I know what I should be doing and still I am allowing myself to do something else for just a little bit first. Of course that little bit ends up lasting the full hour!
This distraction is not a character flaw, nor a sign of weak will or poor work ethic. It is part of being human: an evolutionary adaptation to keep our attention on risks and rewards. And while folks who are neurodiverse may have a harder time than others, it is a nearly universal human experience to struggle with staying on task.
This experience is influenced by the motivational triad: avoid pain, seek pleasure, and conserve energy. Doing so kept eons of our ancestors and their predecessors avoiding dangerous place and seeking nutritionally nourishing foods (and sex) with as little effort as needed in order to be able to run from a lion or fight off a foe at any given moment. This triad was successful in keeping our species alive and procreating. Yes we are now far more evolved and have been for a millennia, but it is naïve to think this evolution has completely replaced our primal nature.
Our prefrontal cortex comprehends how important prepping for the interview, researching alternatives to Amazon, or figuring out how to switch to renewables all are. Your primal nature on the other hand, does not. And your primal nature’s forte is in the moment decision making, and none of those activities sound instantly gratifying or easy.
Luckily, there’s a workaround to help you make it easier to choose what the prefrontal cortex-you has decided is important. In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing other planning and execution practices that will help safeguard you against slipping into whatever you feel like doing. most of the time. Implementing these in your life will allow you to better manage your time and be more effective and efficient in getting things done. Can’t wait weeks? Let’s get on a call now.