Have you ever sat down to do some work only to find yourself suddenly down a deep rabbit hole of social media, research, or some project that really didn’t need your attention in that moment?
If you’re reading this and you’re human, then the answer is: of course you have.
It’s the nature of the mind to get distracted. Especially if you do “knowledge work,” thought work, or creative work, it’s a guarantee that you will, at some point, get distracted.
The big problem with most strategies offered to tame distractions is that they are aimed at curbing interruptions or limiting accessibility to “distraction objects.”
To effectively tame distractions, it’s important to first understand the difference between these commonly mis-used terms.
Distractions vs Interruptions vs Distraction Objects
Many people refer to “distractions” when they mean “interruption” or when they are referring to the object of their shifted attention — what I’ll call distraction objects.
The distinction between these three matters because many of the strategies people use to tame distractions are really designed to tame interruptions or to limit the availability of distraction objects.
Here is how these things differ:
Distractions
A distraction is often a thought, a physical sensation, or an emotion that arises from within and that causes us to shift our focus from our desired task.
It’s important to recognize that the defining feature of a distraction is that it is generated internally.
You can be working in the middle of a desert without any access to technology or other people around and still get distracted.
Interruptions
An interruption is an external trigger that pulls your focus and attention to a new target — a target other than the desired object of your focus.
Examples of interruptions include:
- someone knocking on your door
- phone calls
- pings of your phone
- people trying to talk to you when you’re working
Distraction Objects
A distraction object is the thing you shift your attention to once you’ve been interrupted or as an escape from the discomfort of a distracting thought or emotion.
Examples of distraction objects include:
- social media
- non-urgent conversations
- research rabbit holes
Distraction objects can also include obsessive thought loops, rumination, healthy habits taken to excess, and unhealthy habits often used for escape.
Anything, even if it’s a worthy and virtuous habit, can become a distraction object.
Claim Your Agency Over Distraction Objects
Although you might say you “got distracted by social media,” this is not accurate.
It’s more accurate to say you “distracted with social media” or whatever is your distraction object of choice.
This language shift alone will help you take ownership and responsibility for how distractions impact your work. If you are an active participant in this process, it means you have agency to change it.
Love it? Hate it? What do you think? Don't hold back...