Sometimes, just the fact that some things exist distracts us. The next 3 items are a few of those things.
3. Television
It is easy when things catch your attention on TV and diverts your mind, thus causing you to forget that you are an entrepreneur and your business needs you to spend time on it in order to succeed. If you are someone who gets distracted by the TV and cannot ignore it, then put some time management skills into play. Schedule time to watch TV. Maybe put in a break in your day… a lunch hour during that favorite TV program time, that way, you get a break from your business and you are not interfering with what needs to be happening during work time. Then, you are refreshed and able to focus on what matters. Is it cheating… no, even at regular jobs you get a lunch break or 15-minute breaks. Then, when work time resumes, turn the TV off to prevent further distraction.
4. Social Networking
Social networking, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc… are some of the top 10 distractions while working. If you are using it for business… that’s good. However, if you are updating folks on personal activities, then you are distracted. Become ‘invisible’ in the chat rooms so others don’t know that you are online. Limit your personal interactions for after work or for during your break time.
5. Search/Browsing
When browsing the internet, there is such an amazing amount of info that you can literally get lost in just searching. Be sure to stay focused on your search so that an inter-link, that has nothing to do with work, does not sidetrack you. The best solution is to subscribe to RSS and read what you love after completing your work for the day.
I hope this helps you in your quest today for overcoming distractions and thus changing your state of mind. Join me Wednesday as I cover Food, E-mail, and Working all the time in dealing with distractions.