I’m back at my desk after a week of distractions, driving and family time. It was a wonderful little break – but I am eager to get back in the groove of things.
My mom is staying with me for a bit and I am so looking forward to her help – just the simple acts of making me lunch during the day or encouraging me to get up and go outside for a walk are all welcome distractions. Last week, I put a weekly time blocking structure together for our week, with the hopes that it would force me to sit down and focus my energies on my work instead of chatting with her. She will be here for several weeks, so we will have plenty of time for chatting, projects and other distractions.
As I sit here and write this, my mom is watching an episode of one of the shows she likes on her laptop – while I try to stay focused on my writing.
Focus, that is my theme for today, and this week. I know I will need to practice keeping myself from getting distracted. I am going to continue to work with my Shiny Object List, which I started two weeks ago, I’ve already written my 3 items on my index card for the day;
- update my calendar
- outline tomorrow morning’s presentation
- follow-up with folks from the weekend (people I met and people I missed last week)
I am also using my 90-minute “work sessions”, where I use the Freedom app to “block” distracting websites and apps, play some work music (right now, that is 60’s French Pop radio on Pandora) and set a timer for 90-minutes. The goal is to stay focused on the task or tasks in front of me without taking a break or allowing myself to get distracted. Once the 90-minutes is up, I stand up, go for a quick walk around the block, refill my coffee and sometimes I just putter around the house a bit. I need the movement it helps me reset so I am ready to get back at another 90-minute “work session”.
How is your Monday?
p.s. If you want to connect – please schedule sometime, I would love to chat with you!