3406: How to Be Focused and Productive Amidst All The Noise and Distractions by Shawn Blanc with Break The Twitch

[00:00:00] Before we start, please check out our new podcast, Good Sleep. Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep? That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily, is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations. And these affirmations aren't just comforting, they can help ease anxiety and nurture positive thoughts, setting you up for true good sleep.

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[00:00:38] This is Optimal Living Daily, How to Be Focused and Productive Amidst All The Noise and Distractions by Shawn Blanc with BreakTheTwitch.com and your very own personal narrator Justin Malik, reading to you from some amazing blogs and books to help you optimize your life.

[00:00:55] Today's post comes from a guest author on BreakTheTwitch.com and your own personal narrator Justin Malik, who is the best friend of the day to help you to help you out with some amazing stories.

[00:01:00] So for now, let's get right to it as we optimize your life.

[00:01:07] How to be focused and productive amidst all the noise and distractions by Shawn Blanc with BreakTheTwitch.com.

[00:01:15] Soon the new iPhone will be coming out and just like I have for the past 10 years worth of iPhones, I'll be standing in line on launch day to get one.

[00:01:23] That is, unless I can have it shipped to my house. Always get it shipped to your house if you can.

[00:01:28] I'm a huge Apple nerd. I've had an iPhone since the first one came out and this pocket computer has been within arm's reach ever since.

[00:01:35] It's awesome because I can do so much from just about anywhere at any time.

[00:01:40] But as awesome as my iPhone is, it can also be terrible.

[00:01:43] Over on Kickstarter, all sorts of clever distraction-free phones have been popping up.

[00:01:49] These dumb or dumber phones are there to help folks disconnect either permanently or temporarily with all the apps, pings, notifications and distractions of their fancy phone.

[00:02:00] I'll stick with my iPhone, thank you very much.

[00:02:03] Because the problem that these dumb phones are trying to solve is not a problem at all, but rather a symptom.

[00:02:09] In fact, what most people consider to be problems related to focus are actually just symptoms.

[00:02:15] Ask someone what their biggest challenge is related to focus and they'll probably tell you it has to do with one of two things.

[00:02:21] Too many distractions or not enough time.

[00:02:24] Yet in truth, the biggest challenge we face related to focus is usually not distractions and procrastination,

[00:02:30] but rather the biggest challenge we face is our lack of clarity.

[00:02:35] Elle Luna has a beautiful book, The Crossroads of Should and Must.

[00:02:39] In her book, she writes about how many of us have been told what we should be doing,

[00:02:43] but few of us know deep in our hearts what it is we must do.

[00:02:47] There's a reason we are treating the symptoms and not the core problem.

[00:02:51] It's because productivity itself tends to be measured by surface-level metrics,

[00:02:55] such as how well we use our task management system,

[00:02:58] how organized our calendar app is,

[00:03:01] how fast we can blaze through a pile of emails,

[00:03:03] and how fluidly we flow from one meeting to the next.

[00:03:06] However, these standards are not measuring our productivity,

[00:03:09] but rather how efficient we are at administrative tasks.

[00:03:13] Is a stay-at-home dad who spends most of his day changing diapers and cleaning up messes

[00:03:17] any less productive than his wife who is a corporate CEO?

[00:03:21] The metrics we most frequently use to measure productivity have turned against us.

[00:03:26] They skew towards rewarding effective busy work

[00:03:29] while giving little dignity to meaningful work.

[00:03:32] Thus, we need to start defining productivity differently.

[00:03:35] It's important to put more focus on consistently giving our time and attention to the things which are most important,

[00:03:42] rather than emphasizing the party tricks of balancing many plates at once and clearing our inboxes.

[00:03:48] How do we do that?

[00:03:49] There are two big buckets.

[00:03:51] First, you need clarity about what is truly important to you.

[00:03:55] As El Luna would say,

[00:03:57] what is your must?

[00:03:59] Alas, clarity is not microwavable.

[00:04:01] It requires time,

[00:04:03] time away from all the noise,

[00:04:05] and time to think,

[00:04:06] and to ask yourself challenging questions about your roles in life,

[00:04:09] your values,

[00:04:11] your dreams,

[00:04:12] and more.

[00:04:12] Your life's vision and values are at the very foundation of meaningful productivity.

[00:04:18] Clarity of understanding about who you are and who you want to be in your character,

[00:04:22] values,

[00:04:23] vocation,

[00:04:24] and relationships is all paramount to meaningful productivity.

[00:04:28] Secondly,

[00:04:29] you need a bias toward action.

[00:04:32] Your bias toward action will keep you on track with being productive in the areas that matter,

[00:04:36] as defined from your aforementioned vision and values.

[00:04:39] When you get clarity about what matters,

[00:04:42] resistance will show up.

[00:04:43] It will come from within and without.

[00:04:46] And so,

[00:04:46] here are a few tips for overcoming procrastination

[00:04:49] and staying motivated to do the stuff that matters.

[00:04:52] Number one,

[00:04:53] show up every day.

[00:04:56] You've got to make doing the most important work part of your routine.

[00:05:00] Choose to do something every day until eventually it chooses you back.

[00:05:03] By having a routine in place for your work,

[00:05:06] it will create the space you need to do work that matters,

[00:05:09] while also reserving your willpower and creative energy for actually doing the work.

[00:05:13] Number two,

[00:05:15] celebrate your progress.

[00:05:17] At the end of every day,

[00:05:18] I open up my day one journal and write down the highlights of what I accomplished that day.

[00:05:23] This is something Ben Franklin would do.

[00:05:24] At the end of each day,

[00:05:26] he would ask himself,

[00:05:27] what good have I done today?

[00:05:29] By recognizing and rewarding my small wins each day,

[00:05:32] it builds up an intrinsic motivation that makes me want to keep doing the important work.

[00:05:37] Number three,

[00:05:38] avoid inbox addiction,

[00:05:40] aka the just checks.

[00:05:42] I define inbox addiction as an urge to continuously check one's news feeds,

[00:05:47] social feeds,

[00:05:48] and message inboxes,

[00:05:49] despite undesirable and even negative consequences or a desire to stop.

[00:05:54] The addiction of checking and refreshing our inboxes,

[00:05:57] timelines,

[00:05:58] and other vanity statistics,

[00:06:00] robs us of our ability to focus and do deep work.

[00:06:03] It's a drain on our time as well as a drain on our creative energy

[00:06:07] that conditions us to never focus on any one thing for longer than a few minutes.

[00:06:12] Number four,

[00:06:14] avoid urgency addiction.

[00:06:16] Urgency addiction is a need to only ever spend our time working on things which are urgent in the moment.

[00:06:22] We gravitate toward this because urgency feels exciting.

[00:06:25] There's a natural momentum and adrenaline that accompanies things which are urgent.

[00:06:30] But when our nature is to only ever focus on the urgent issues,

[00:06:33] we are robbed of doing our most important work.

[00:06:36] Because essential work is often mundane and not yet in an emergency status.

[00:06:41] When something is essential,

[00:06:42] it is absolutely necessary.

[00:06:44] Essential is the very definition of what's truly important.

[00:06:48] Urgent is relative,

[00:06:49] but essential is absolute.

[00:06:52] While urgency is usually defined by external factors,

[00:06:55] essentialness is fundamentally important to a project or goal,

[00:06:58] regardless of external factors.

[00:07:01] To let your life be taken over by what is only urgent,

[00:07:04] is to live like a child,

[00:07:06] caring only about what seems important right now with no regard for the future

[00:07:09] and without even knowing what is actually important today.

[00:07:13] Defining Meaningful Productivity

[00:07:16] When you define meaningful productivity like this, it changes everything.

[00:07:20] Suddenly it's less about the quality of art you produce,

[00:07:23] and it's more about being valuable, meaningful, and honest in everything you touch.

[00:07:28] Meaningful productivity can and should be integrated into every area of life,

[00:07:33] work, family, rest, personal life, etc.

[00:07:38] And therefore meaningful productivity becomes a choice.

[00:07:41] I try to make that choice when I'm at my keyboard,

[00:07:44] when I'm on a date with my wife,

[00:07:46] when I have half an hour of quiet alone time,

[00:07:48] or when I'm playing frisbee in the backyard with my boys.

[00:07:51] In those moments, it's not about the context for how I'm being productive,

[00:07:55] rather it's about my choice to be honest,

[00:07:57] true, vulnerable, and personal.

[00:08:04] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:08:06] How to be focused and productive amidst all the noise and distractions,

[00:08:10] by Sean Blanc with BreakTheTwitch.com.

[00:08:13] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:08:15] We're getting closer to the new year.

[00:08:17] Don't save those life changes and resolutions for the first day of the new year.

[00:08:21] That rarely works.

[00:08:23] Now's a great time to start.

[00:08:24] Stay focused now,

[00:08:25] and maybe you can commit to some things through the end of this year.

[00:08:29] It's a smaller commitment and can give you momentum as you go through the holidays.

[00:08:32] It could be health and fitness related,

[00:08:34] like simply taking a walk every day,

[00:08:36] or doing some push-ups every day,

[00:08:38] or financial, like tracking all of your income and expenses.

[00:08:41] It's easier than it sounds, especially with the tools we have available these days.

[00:08:45] Try something, now's a great time to do it.

[00:08:47] But I'll leave it there for today.

[00:08:49] Thank you for being here every day and sharing the show with your friends and family.

[00:08:53] Have a great rest of your day,

[00:08:54] and I'll see you in the Friday show tomorrow,

[00:08:56] where your optimal life awaits.