Distraction Reaction Mode

Do you operate in distraction reaction mode.

Having a productive day can be challenging and perhaps even a novelty.

If you allow your life to be directed by other people’s agendas, you may be living a life driven by distractions. Oh yes, I am talking about emails, twitter and Facebook interruptions throwing your personal agenda into turmoil.

I hear you cry, “but how can I live, without my twitter fix, or how will I survive without checking my email every other minute. Won’t I miss some huge opportunity or news from friends or colleagues?”

I am not suggestion cold turkey here, just apply a bit of distraction reaction management. After all, what happens when you are constantly interrupted by other people’s agendas—you live in a complete state of reaction. You react to incoming emails, twitter comments and Facebook messages. Your day gets eaten up by reacting instead of acting on your own agenda, goals and purpose.

When I read Brendon Burchard’s wonderful book, The Charge. He offered these suggestions on how to be more in charge of your agenda and less reactive:

1. Determine two times during the day when you will check your incoming messages.

2. Don’t open your email or turn on your computer first thing.

3. As you start your day or even the night before, ask yourself the following questions:

   a. What are my top 3 projects I’m working on?

   b. List 5 big things you must do to move those projects forward.

   c. Who do I need to reach out to today?

   d. Who am I waiting to hear back from today?

   e. What is the main thing I must complete today?

Now you have your day planned, you know who you need to contact and who you are waiting to hear from and you will at least accomplish one main thing to move yourself forward.

Now open your computer and email and send out your emails to those you listed. Then check incoming messages for those you are expecting to hear from and if you don’t see anything from them, close your email and computer again and work on your agenda.

Later in the day, the time you designated as the 2nd email check time, check your emails and other networks for other incoming contacts and respond.

Now, you have spent your day working on your stuff, getting your agenda done and not in distraction reaction mode.

I’ve been using a form of this for some time, and now I’ve adopted this method and it really works.

I know it’s so easy to constantly check your email on your phone, but is it the best use of every minute? When you have your big 3 projects in the forefront of your mind, those extra minutes might be perfect for thinking about some aspect of one of those projects to move it along more quickly.

Take a distraction reaction mode break and give this a try.

How do you avoid spending your day in distraction reaction mode? Do you get bogged down by too many distractions? What cool strategies do you use to move yourself through your agenda?

Leave me a comment below or on the Performingbiz Success Strategies Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PerformingbizSuccessStrategies.

I can’t wait to hear about your success.

Now, Thanks to the Band Curfew from the UK for providing the Biz Booster theme Music, Future Dance. Check them out at www.curfew.co.uk

And for more career boosting tips, articles, books, resources, tele-seminars and online courses, visit me at Performingbiz.com 

P.S.: Just a reminder about deadline of September 30th to be able to use Discount Coupon for the PDF Version of the Revised 4th Edition of How To Be Your Own Booking Agent