The Age of Deadly Distraction
What you will get: Some reflections on being busy.
“Are you really, really busy doing nothing?”
Because sadly, so many people are.
In fact…
I’d go so far to say that it’s an epidemic!
You see…
Sadly we are now in the age of “deadly distraction!”
So many people have the latest shiny toys to make sure they waste every waking moment on doing not very much at all.
(I recently saw a holiday company with an advertising headline , “we offer a number of beautiful worldwide locations where you can go to and spend 2 weeks staring into your phone!”)
For many, it is so much easier to stay distracted and overplan, overschedule and overstimulate our brains than to actually slow down, spend time just “being” and really reflect on life and our purpose.
But the bad news is…
There is a really big cost to overstimulation.
Evidence shows that too much time on smartphones, social media, fast-paced TV, and other hi-tech life distractors are training our brains to lose the ability to concentrate.
So when we do have those rare moments to “swich off” and recharge our batteries (which is an essential human psychological and physical need), we can’t!
The brain keeps working at 200%, because it’s been trained to seek more and more stimulation – faster, smarter and better.
But that’s just the short term cost!
The long term cost is much bigger.
Imagine this…
You arrive at the last hour of your life and realize you wasted so much of your true potential as a human being – giving your time, energy and focus to these time wasting activities.
You see…
Most of us have life dreams
Most of us hope for more time, energy and financial freedom, doing something we truly love.
Very few actually get it.
And what do really epic performers do differently to the majority?
The never fall into the trap of “being busy for the sake of being busy”
Sure they are busy people.
But their “busyness” is always connected to a clear purpose.
It is focused.
It is planned.
It is meaningful.
You know…
I have dedicated much of my professional life to studying and learning from the world’s top achievers. Those people who make their dreams become reality.
And here’s just some of the things people who achieve their lifetime dreams do…
- They start each day with a powerful routine that sets up their mind, body and spirit for a truly epic day.This includes physical exercise, healthy nutrition and some form of relaxation, like meditation.
- They remain focused and avoid “deadly distraction”. So they control their technology and don’t let it control them. Emails are checked at specific times and never allowed to creep into their “focus” time. Social media is forgotten unless it has a clear purpose connected to their goals.
And what about…
TV? No time for that.
Smart phones? Switched off regularly so nothing can disturb them. - They invest regular time out for reflection to help them connect with their bigger “purpose” and make sure everything they do is in line with this purpose.
Sadly, like I said, it is true that the age of deadly distraction is upon us.
But you don’t have to buy into it.
You don’t have to let it get in the way of your dreams.
You know where the off switch is on all your devices.
And you know that to truly achieve your lifetime dreams, you, and only you, can make that happen.
I’m off to focus on my next achievments with my phone and emails switched off.
How about you?
To your success
P.S. Right now I am recruiting for the new class of the Accredited Virtual Masters in High Performance Leadership. Watch this to find out how the Masters could change your life!
Steve Neale
“Europe’s Leading Expert on Personal and Professional Growth”
Psychologist, Executive Coach, EI Practitioner, Award Winning Trainer, International Author, Psychodynamic Therapist, Hypnotherapist, Mindfulness Instructor, International Speaker, Creator of the LPS, Creator of the Accredited Masters in High Performance Leadership
