I've always been a daydreamer, and a person that has a hard time finishing projects; electronic devices have made it even harder for me to stay on track and make good use of my time. I struggle to stay focused. In the coming months, it's going to be really important for me to make good use of my time, stay on task, and keep my eye on the ball.
Here are the things I'm going to do to try to become a more focused person:
1. Limit use of my phone - If you know me, you know how attached I am to my phone. Sometimes when I'm working on the computer, I'll even pick up my phone to check Litsy or other apps I can only use on my phone. While I'm already on an electronic device! The trick to this has been in trying to decide what my limit is going to be and how I'm going to reach that goal. At home, I think this will mean, leaving my phone in a different room than the one I'm in; at work, leaving it in my purse.
2. Stay on task - Again, this is a tough one to measure and a lot depends on what the task is and how long it takes. The main thing will be, I think, to just say "no" to myself any time I think I'll stop in the middle of something to do something else. Say "no, you can't redo the bookshelves right now" while I'm in the middle of dusting them. Yes, I have done that before and a fairly short task soon became a project lasting several hours.
3. Try meditation or yoga - This was already on my list when I started yoga last month. I'm leaving it there as a reminder to continue the yoga (which takes much more focus than walking on a treadmill). And I'm thinking adding some meditation time might not be a bad idea, either; try to clear my mind and calm myself.
4. Shut the television off - We are terrible about turning on the television when we walk in a room and once it's on, it tends to stay on, even if we're not particularly interested in anything that's on. Makes it tough to focus on the other things I'm trying to do. The other piece of this will be to leave the room if it's on. The Big Guy likes to have the t.v. on (he suffers from tinnitus and that doesn't bother him as much if there's some other noise) but I don't have to be in the same room all of the time. After all, we used to limit the kids' t.v. time; why not limit ours?
So I'm turning off the computer now and walking away from the television BG just turned on!
Good luck with your goals! I think we've all gotten so used to having that phone attached to us, either in our hands or pockets or sitting right beside us. I laugh sometimes at how we stress when we get a text or call and can't respond immediately. I remember the time before answering machines. LOL
ReplyDeleteI don't have the TV on during the day or rarely. Only if I'm watching something. My husband, on the other hand, immediately turns it on when he comes home. It's kind of annoying, but he seems to not notice the noise, even if he isn't watching it. Yoga and meditation sound perfect.
I desperately need to limit phone use. Half the time I'm looking at the same thing over and over for absolutely no reason. I do feel like I need to hear it for kid stuff but I can hear it just as well if it's across the room. I think I might borrow your idea on that one! My husband and I are trying to do puzzles or play a game together instead of just turning on the TV every night but that's harder to do than one would think sometimes. There are definitely nights when all I want to do is flop on the couch and watch TV to rest my tired brain. I'm trying to only do that when I have something to watch. Sounds like you have some really good and achievable goals for February. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of most of these, especially 1-2-3. The hub is the tv addict. I've been known to play a game on my phone while on my laptop.
ReplyDeleteLife was easier in the late 80s when we didn't own a computer or cellphone. Actually I got my first car mounted cellphone in 1988. Lol
I'm in the same boat. The next few months are going to require my full attention and I can't allow myself to get sidetracked. I've ditched Twitter and made myself a vow to not to the tv on unless we're watching a movie on Netflix. No more news! No more NPR. No more stress. I really can't get sucked into all the drama in Washington. It's causing me to have far too many sleepless nights. Good luck with your resolutions!
ReplyDeleteI started meditating again in earnest in January and seriously love it. Those 15-20 minutes each day are probably among my favorite. They are a great way to get centered again and leave the workday behind me (I meditate after work and before I start dinner). It also helps me remain calmer throughout the day as the news from D.C. floods in.
ReplyDeleteI do pretty well with ignoring my phone - except when I'm in procrastination mode, and I don't really watch TV. However, I would like to start taking one day off of electronics a week. I think all of us are going to need to find that balance between staying informed and staying sane for the next four years.