D-I-S-T-R-A-C-T-I-Oooo-something shiny!

I'll admit it, and people who know me know this.  At times, I get distracted. Like wildly distracted.  

In fact the reason I'm writing this blog right now is because I just got really distracted and thought it was a hoot and a tragedy all rolled into one. 

So what better way to further get distracted and write a blog post about it, right?

I was looking for something to eat.  I saw a box of Jello in the pantry and thought "hmmm.... I should make this tonight..."  So I take down the glass ramekins we have that I've used in the past to find that out of the five we have, we only have two lids.  

#!&$@  

I guess they get damaged, or accidentally thrown out...who knows?!

EBay popped into mind.  I head over to the computer and after about 5,10...15? minutes I find EXACTLY what I was looking for.  Who'd thought there would be someone selling 3 Pampered Chef glass ramekins lids this week...but there they were and I placed my bid.

Now...what about dish towels?  I search there but no reviews...what if I'm getting the best dishtowel for the best price?!?  I head over to Amazon.com to look at reviews but although they were great the ones the reviews were also saying something about shrinkage...after 5,10, 15? minutes of looking at reviews I suddenly realized I was spending WAAAAAAY too much time and energy on looking up dishtowels.  I realized this when one of the reviewers for these particular dishtowels went on a two paragraph rampage and in part said this:

"Here's the deal. They're towels. They are just kitchen hand towels. Yet when I ordered these, I got a treatise from Amazon on how to properly care for my brand new kitchen towels, including step-by-step instructions on washing, drying, and maintaining. This immediately turned me off to the point that I almost returned them because honestly, THEY ARE TOWELS. You should wash them. Dry them. Fold them. Use them. Repeat." 

And How!

Why am I sitting here wasting time worried about kitchen towels.  I'm over it....and I'm hungry. Because I was, for heaven's sake and albeit an hour ago just looking for something to freakin' eat!

It happens to the best of us.  We live in a world of distractions.  Our phones ding, our online shopping turns into a session on Facebook or Twitter.  We have a myriad of options and we want to make sure we are "getting the best deal" and not a penny over.  Meanwhile we're stressed out because we never have time.

Since becoming a professional organizer and productivity consultant, I've gotten a lot better at noticing when I'm distracted and staying on task and focused.  Obviously it's not a natural talent.

So here's a few ways I "auto-correct" from venturing down a rabbit-hole of distractions:

1. Set a timer for short periods of time.  (helps me stay focused for short periods and knowing I'm being timed keeps me aware that I can't afford to be distracted).

2. Stay away from people.  (I'm an introvert....people drain my energy and in the DISC assessment I'm an I/S which means I like to talk which means people distract me. It's a weird combination which ultimately means I work best alone on focus-driven tasks.)

3. Limit notifications on electronic devices.  I've turned off my email notifications.  I can check my email on my phone but it's on my terms.  I've never looked back.  It's great.  If you're scared you are going to miss an important email, set a reminder to check your email at certain intervals.

4. Let the phone ring.  That is what voicemail and caller ID is for...right?

5. Have a "totem".  If you've seen the movie Inception you know there was a visual reminder of reality. Maybe even a better movie reference is Somewhere In Time Yes, "Come back to me!". One thing I do is, when I'm about to venture off into a "secondary adventure" (aka a distraction), I'll write down my thoughts or what I was originally doing so I can get back on task and not have to think too hard about it when I'm ready to continue.

6. Talk to yourself.  Thoughts disappear like mist, by saying something you want to reminder out loud, it reinforces the thought and keeps it in the forefront.

7. Mindfully succumb to the distraction.  But I put a string around my mind to pull me back.  If you have, Siri, Cortana, or "Ok, Google", tell it to remind you in 5,10...15 minutes to (fill in the blank). It's like a bookmark for your thoughts.

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968.

There's Never Time for the DMV (Yes Department of Motor Vehicles)

I usually don't do this because I know it hurts so bad. That's putting things off until the very last minute. But despite experience and my learned ways as a professional organizer and productivity consultant, I am still human and I still don't like going to the Department of Motor Vehicles aka DMV (or ironing...) these are things I'd rather not do. But I make myself do them, I plan for them.

Until I don't.

I rationalize it away (mistake number 1). "There are more important things to do than sit at the DMV for 2 hours". That's true...but...

I ignore it and conveniently forget to schedule a time to do it -- avoidance (mistake number 2).

I research the heck out of it. "There has to be a way I can do this online. .." (mistake number 3).

Then the day comes I can no longer wait. Well I could but I'd pay fines and get in trouble with the law and stuff. No bueno.

My mistakes catch up with me and my heart rate quickens and my breath shortens and I could kick myself for trying to SQUEEZE this dreaded task in my week when I could have done it weeks ago.

This rarely happens to me and if it didn't you'd have to check me for an on/off switch or a stick up my...(use your imagination).  We are all human we procrastinate things we hate to do. Which is why I have a job.

People hate organizing. They get overwhelmed by it. They are uneducated about it. It's too emotional and for goodness sakes they don't understand what to do with a few boxes /bags/closets/bins of STUFF. Clothes, paper, their time. It's emotional and it's overwhelming and we can be dumbfounded about it.

It's ok.

There is never time for the DMV. But, the reality is. You have to make time.

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968.