How Not to Get Sidetracked

Getting sidetracked is easy and all you have to do in order to get stuff done is…wait…wait for it…

Focus!

Getting stuff done has to do with having focus on what needs to get done. Wow!!! That was easy. That’s it! So easy to write that it isn’t even funny how easy it was, but wait, there is a little thing called “Sidetracking” that always gets me and this is how I try to tackle it.

Yes, as easy as it is to write that you have to have focus it is a whole ‘nother ball game to actually do that. I am one that can say this out of a deep, deep, deep personal experience of not always being able to focus. I mean, I can focus on something, and I can even focus for hours or days on end, but the truth of the matter is that I am the curious dreamer type, and I know that I am not alone in being this type, and so let’s face it, I very (let me say that again) I very, very easily get sidetracked!

Now wait a minute, sidetracking is technically speaking defined as “getting distracted by something less important”, but in the life of a “curious dreamer” who can say what is “less important” until you actually do the sidetracking thingy?!?!? Am I right or am I right?

I mean, I love learning new things and exploring and daydreaming and getting lost in the moment. I just do. If you are like me and think that is okay too, I am here to tell you about how I am learning to improve my focus and how I use it as a strength that I am curious and often get “sidetracked”.

1) Learn from your sidetrackings: If you are really going to do something else instead of the thing you decided to focus on then make an agreement with yourself that you will do this because you are curious about XYZ where XYZ is something that you want to “learn” or get from your distraction.

For example, I often check my e-mails with the intent to find a specific e-mail from a person for some information or to reply to it or whatever. I then end up seeing another e-mail that looks interesting (like something from Quora or Startup Digest or oooo, Startup Reading List, that’s a good one ). Well then I go into that e-mail and start looking around and then another e-mail and another, etc. etc.

Well, that is okay because I was eventually going to do that anyway and now I did it sooner rather than later, BUT wait! What did I learn that I am going to use going forward? That is the important thing here. If I can not answer that question after I am done then I fell into my age-old sidetracking trap, but if I can answer it then I have actually accomplished something and “Got Stuff Done!” In my example, I want to take time to read this article about Meteor JS because I want to see if I will be able to use it in an upcoming release of my project. Or on the other hand, if I don’t have an answer and I do it anyway, at least I acknowledged that I am being sidetracked and why or why not I am letting that happen.

So, what I do now is I make it a habit to catch myself before the sidetrack thingy happens and ask myself 2 short and simple questions:

a. Is this what I am here to do? and if the answer is no then
b. Why am I going to do this now instead of later?

The answers to the above don’t solve every single sidetracking episode, but it sure helps to maximize a lot more of my sidetracking sessions and when I am done then I know if I accomplished something or not.

2) Not all sidetracking is BAD: That’s right, not all sidetracking is bad. Sometimes you get sidetracked because you need to find something out about the thing that you are focusing on. And well, sometimes that can be a good thing because then you actually get the “right” stuff done sooner.

For example, I am researching studying for a Master’s. Well, I needed to pick a subject and I was looking at the subjects that I was interested in, but low and behold there was some other subjects that looked really interesting. I go to look at the descriptions and begin to wonder how they fit into the picture and soon I am almost in my analysis paralysis. Maybe I want to do that or maybe this or “Ooooooooh, what is this?”.

Well, it doesn’t have to be so bad and as it turns out these were actually all really interesting subjects and what I actually learned by going and looking into these was that it gave me even more clarity about the subject that I really want to study. What did I want to do with that subject? Why did I want to do that? So…

Recognize “good” sidetracking and acknowledge it.

In this case I say that you are doing the stuff that needs to get done to get the stuff that you are trying to get done. That has to be a good thing and well, how do we know that.

That brings me to the conclusion of this post which is what I have found to be most effective for me. (Disclaimer: Shameless plug for Pinduin coming right up.)

By writing things down, “a plan”, and being able to see how long it takes me to “move” on it or how long I “sit” on it gives me a much better idea of what things are really helping me “get stuff done”.

It is that simple for me. Make it visible, my “What?”, so that I take the time to reflect, even just for a moment, about my “Why?”.

This process of writing things down and reflecting about why I am doing it and when I am doing it really helps me to focus. Now this is just me and what I have found that works, but at the end of the day if you don’t remember anything that I wrote then remember this 1 thing.

The most important thing that YOU can remember is that YOU hold your destiny in your hands and it is up to YOU to DO something about YOUR DREAMS.

Now it is your turn. Tell me about what helps you to focus. What tips or tricks do you have? Let me know if this helps you to focus more and…

Start duin your dreams today!