The Distracted Person and Time Mismanagement

The Distracted Person and Time Mismanagement

Do you start to do a high-priority task only to end up expending your time and energy on a low-priority project? You set today as the day-of-days for getting the taxes done or the mounting pile of bills paid but first the bushes need to be trimmed or the desk organized?

If so, you are experiencing distraction and, occasionally, this can be fun and it doesn’t really matter what you do.

The problem starts when this is your normal behavior.

One of the first, very important, steps to conquering this problem is to be aware of it WHILE IT’S HAPPENING. You then have the option of asserting your self-control, ignoring the beckoning voice of the Sirens within your head, and doing what is most important - that which you planned and set out to do. Priority number 1.

Self-monitoring yourself will help you to keep on course. Writing down everything you do during the course of a day will aid you pinpoint where you get off track. While you are monitoring yourself, you are more aware of what you are doing (and not doing!) which will help you focus, even while “only” self-observing. You can already prevent slipping off to an appealing distraction just because you are more aware.

Planning your day is another helpful way to spotlight high priorities. Avoid 1) planning too extensively, and, 2) spending so much time on planning that you never get down to work. There is something so satisfying about a well-thought-out and detailed plan – but it can be kind of a premature gratification too. Commit to the action as well! Just Do It!!

Write a few cards with your goal on it. Chant it like a mantra. Visualize the steps you need to reach the goal, not just the goal itself.

I used to have a problem with my punctuality. Well, I didn’t but everyone else did! I was content to come late and have people wait for me until, one day, I didn’t want to be rude anymore. I’m not sure why that happened but, since then, I’m never late. I am a punctual person.

I always knew how to be on time yet I didn’t commit to taking the required steps.

Until I changed, I’d tell myself “TODAY I’m going to get to the lecture on time!” or “The dinner party starts at 8, not 9.” But then, I’d see all sorts of tasks that I could do “quickly” and off I’d go. By the time I’d finished and looked at the clock, nothing short of a supersonic jet could have gotten me to my appointment on time. And I wasn’t even ready to leave!

Eventually I learned to ignore the voices offering me interesting choices, the sight of tasks undone, the new idea I just had to begin RIGHT NOW. The voices still try to distract me but it is futile. I squelch them brutally. On top of it all, I have a much better feeling for time and how much of it I’ll need to get from here to there, including going to the car (at least 5 minutes), getting to my destination (30 minutes but adding 20 minutes extra for unforeseen delays, traffic backup and finding a parking spot, 10 minutes to get into the building and up to the designated room) plus about 5 minutes for a toilet break or just to “be”, relaxing shortly before everything starts.

By writing down how long it takes to do routine things – taking your shower or preparing a meal, for instance – you can learn to estimate the time it takes for other activities in your day. One rule of thumb is to over-estimate – most people estimate on the skimpy side. And get caught unfinished when time runs out.

In one of my time management courses, a lady said she was always late. She was even late to my time management seminar!! Both days! I asked her, if she needed to be at an appointment at eleven and the drive to the appointment would take 30 minutes (in the best of situations), when would she need to leave her house.

She said 10:30. I rest my case.

A good help toward awareness for time mismanagement is self-monitoring everything you do each day and every disturbance. Write down what the disturbance was, how long it took to get back on track and who caused the disturbance. Self-observation helps you pinpoint what takes you off course. You have to be conscious of your distractions and how you normally deal with them before you can learn not to heed them at all.

Learning to focus and concentrate on the most important task is a key to excellent time management. The most important thing is to keep the most important thing the most important thing!

One aid for staying on-task is to set a timer for five minutes every time you get off your high-priority task. Make sure the timer is far enough away from you so that, when it annoyingly buzzes, you must get up and walk over to turn it off. This makes you more likely to disengage from the impulsive activity and get back on your plan.

Another tool for reducing spontaneous distracting activities is to establish routines and rituals for your day to provide structure to the day and increase familiarity with time slots. Get up and go to bed at set times. Exercise at the same time daily. Eat your meals at set times. Walk the dog immediately afterward, for example. By setting structures for fundamental needs, you become more aware of scheduled activities and staying on track.

Ultimately, you learn to anticipate what you can or cannot do in a given time period, which will make you less inclined to begin tasks that take you off track.

Some people use wristwatches with multiple alarms, setting them to sound each hour so that an awareness of the passage of time is built up. A brief check of where they are and where they should be on the plan helps keep them on track.

Time slots are a good way for distracted people to divide their day. Designate time sections like 7-9, 9-11, 11-1, etc. and plug into each section tasks or goals you need to finish during that time. What has to be accomplished by nine, by eleven, one? Keep your eye on the goal AND the clock!