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"Sometimes your distractions are something which you really need to do" The key is to be able to determine the validity of the distraction, without getting dis

"Sometimes your distractions are something which you really need to do" The key is to be able to determine the validity of the distraction, without getting distracted, meaning without even diverting your mind a bit to think about the distraction. I don't think you can. You need to context switch a bit, examine what the distraction is and then switch back. Easier said than done. It leads to a trail of IFTTTs since every distraction has it's own context and lifespan. If someone has ways of accomplishing this, I'm all ears.

gexla 7y ago
I'm getting into personal anecdote territory which I hate because it likely only works for me, but here I go... When I'm working in front of my computer, I manage this stream by keeping a log of what I'm doing in an editor. When I step into something, I make a quick note of what I'm about to do. I may annotate it with what I DID rather than what I'm about to do. It's fully shooting from the hip. The point of it is that I can always bring it up and see the last thing my brain was on and the stream leading up to that point. I call that section "stream." I'll add other "sections" for other items I need to take down. Maybe I think of a todo, then I'll make a section for "Todo" and maybe even multiple lists for multiple projects. This document is only meant for things which collect in my head as I'm trying to do this other thing. It's not meant to be storage space for project management. The starting of a disaster day is finding myself getting bogged down in reading a pile of browser tabs in the morning during my "putter" time. In that case I'll open a blank editor tab to start the "stream" and create a section for reading. I'll jot down the items which interest me the most, bookmark those items, then clear all tabs. I'll NEVER get back to reading those things, but I took care of the problem in my head and then I get back to "streaming." It's all about one of the core GTD ideas of clearing your space and writing things down to comfort your brain. The main stream section then keeps me on task. I have also trained myself that this is the most important rule and if I don't have this document open in an editor, then I'm asking for trouble.
em-bee 7y ago
what works for me is that i got into the habit of never answering a message immediately. in one way it's a form of ignoring distraction, but for me it's actually about not letting others control my time. i don't want to give others the power to make me jump and do what they need whenever they request it. so even if i see the message, i'll push it away so that i can remain in control of the moment, and i'll get back to it when i choose. the key here i think is to hold on to the focus that i had before the distraction came in as good as i can. it depends on what you are doing, but in the example the author gave, i'd have said: "hold on for a moment, i just want to get rid of this distraction", and then do the absolute minimum necessary to get rid of it before returning my focus to the activity at hand.

gexla 7y ago

I'm getting into personal anecdote territory which I hate because it likely only works for me, but here I go... When I'm working in front of my computer, I manage this stream by keeping a log of what I'm doing in an editor. When I step into something, I make a quick note of what I'm about to do. I may annotate it with what I DID rather than what I'm about to do. It's fully shooting from the hip. The point of it is that I can always bring it up and see the last thing my brain was on and the stream leading up to that point. I call that section "stream." I'll add other "sections" for other items I need to take down. Maybe I think of a todo, then I'll make a section for "Todo" and maybe even multiple lists for multiple projects. This document is only meant for things which collect in my head as I'm trying to do this other thing. It's not meant to be storage space for project management. The starting of a disaster day is finding myself getting bogged down in reading a pile of browser tabs in the morning during my "putter" time. In that case I'll open a blank editor tab to start the "stream" and create a section for reading. I'll jot down the items which interest me the most, bookmark those items, then clear all tabs. I'll NEVER get back to reading those things, but I took care of the problem in my head and then I get back to "streaming." It's all about one of the core GTD ideas of clearing your space and writing things down to comfort your brain. The main stream section then keeps me on task. I have also trained myself that this is the most important rule and if I don't have this document open in an editor, then I'm asking for trouble.

em-bee 7y ago

what works for me is that i got into the habit of never answering a message immediately. in one way it's a form of ignoring distraction, but for me it's actually about not letting others control my time. i don't want to give others the power to make me jump and do what they need whenever they request it. so even if i see the message, i'll push it away so that i can remain in control of the moment, and i'll get back to it when i choose. the key here i think is to hold on to the focus that i had before the distraction came in as good as i can. it depends on what you are doing, but in the example the author gave, i'd have said: "hold on for a moment, i just want to get rid of this distraction", and then do the absolute minimum necessary to get rid of it before returning my focus to the activity at hand.