1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to not distract yourself. The world offers 4 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: plenty of distractions during work hours, whether you're working in 5 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: an office or as many of us are, at home. 6 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: You can't necessarily control other people, but you can control yourself, 7 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: and you want to make sure you aren't adding to 8 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: the problem. We all know that it's important to focus. 9 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: We also know that this is easier said than done. 10 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,239 Speaker 1: When you work in an office, colleagues can stop by 11 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:51,880 Speaker 1: the chat, or you can be pulled out of deep 12 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: work by other people's conversations. At home, you can add children, partners, 13 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: and pets to the mix, to say nothing of your 14 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: neighbor's lawnmower or leaf blower, or the time necessary to 15 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: direct the guys who stopped by to deliver the woodchips 16 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: from mulching to your driveway. You probably can't do much 17 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: about your neighbor's ten am lawnmowing, but let's face it, 18 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: those aren't the only distractions. I just saw my phone 19 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: sitting on my desk next to me. I picked it 20 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: up and glanced at the comments on my Instagram feed. 21 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: Did I need to do that hardly? I checked my 22 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,119 Speaker 1: inbox too while I was there, Nothing urgent, which isn't 23 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: surprising since I was in there fifteen minutes ago. There 24 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: are also the distractions that seem productive, you know, like 25 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,559 Speaker 1: moving the laundry over to the dryer or taking meat 26 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: out of the freezer for dinner. And yes, those things 27 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: do have to happen at some point, But if you 28 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: have been fortunate enough to carve a spot of time 29 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: without your kids needing something or the neighbor mowing his lawn, 30 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: you definitely don't want to distract yourself so to a 31 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: few things. First, phone off or an airplane mode or 32 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: in the next room. Nothing will happen in the next 33 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: twenty minutes. If you want to make it seem like 34 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: there is a plausible reason for not having your phone on, 35 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: you will go plug the phone into an outlet that's 36 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 1: in the next room. Now, if you get an urge 37 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: to look at something, you'll probably think twice since it 38 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: will involve standing up, shut anything on your laptop that 39 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: you are not actively using, and then make what I 40 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: call a later list. As you are engaged in deep 41 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: work and thoughts, like I need to move the laundry 42 00:02:55,320 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: pop unbidden into your head. Right These on the later list. 43 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,919 Speaker 1: You will get to them later. I'm guessing you'll take 44 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: a break in the next hour or so we generally do, 45 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: which would be a great time to move the laundry. 46 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 1: It will still be there, but you won't have chopped 47 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: up your focus. You should use this later list even 48 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: if the thought that pops into your head is work related. Yes, 49 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: you might need a statistic your colleague emails you for 50 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: this report. Yes, you know that statistic is in an 51 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: email that your colleagues sent. But here's the problem. If 52 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: you head into your inbox to retrieve that statistic, you 53 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: won't exit immediately. You will stick around to see what 54 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: else is in your inbox, and whoops, there goes your 55 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: focus time. So instead, just work around it. You might 56 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: write to come as the journalists say, t K for short, 57 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: and yes that is misspelled, don't ask, or put X 58 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: goes here or some such. Put the thing you are 59 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: searching for on your later list and you can get 60 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: it when you take a scheduled break. In the meantime, 61 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: you can push through and get a lot more done. 62 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: The world is already very distracting. Do yourself a favor 63 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: and don't make the problem worse than it already is. 64 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 65 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 66 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 67 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,719 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 68 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. 69 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 1: That's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 70 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 71 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,839 Speaker 1: podcast at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled 72 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look 73 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production 74 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 75 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:22,359 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 76 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.