Truth be told, maintaining focus on just about anything these days can be quite challenging! Attention span on any fixed subject appears to dwindle precipitously due to persistent, dynamic, and unending news headlines and social media updates. Like our shadows, unfolding events accompany us in real-time, everywhere – school, work, gym, …. While we all need a healthy dose of news or social media updates, most of these can and often do become major distractions, aka news, or social media “junk”.
It sometimes appears as though technological advances contribute to ever busier lifestyles. Thanks to digital technology, the more time we “save”, the more time we “crave”! Time continues to elude us and remains both a mirage and a scarce resource. This leads to the question whether advances in digital technology, and its by-products, such as on-demand live streaming and social media are good or evil? Well, it depends!
Distractions are not an entirely new phenomena, and have existed in various shapes, hues, or forms for as long as you can imagine. How would you define a distraction? While a singular, universal definition may be elusive, in its simplest form, distractions can be classified as non-essential, zero-beneficial activities that steal your precious resources – time and money. Distractions represent significant, unaccounted time spent on non-meaningful activities or endeavors. Of course, as the adage goes, “all work without play makes Jack a dull boy”. Therefore, it is instructive to state that “downtime” should and must be encouraged, especially in our increasingly busy society, albeit with moderation.
What then to do when it seems like we have been technologically pre- or re-programmed and now live in digital cyberspace? Oblivious of our ever-increasing dependence on non-productive digital indulgence, it’s no surprise that time always appears inadequate. The central solution lies in (re)prioritization, (re)focus and reallocation of your time currency in ways that guarantee tangible outcomes without being locked-up in a digital-less wilderness. The proposed solutions aren’t an easy “six-rules-to-success-hype” but rather boils down to balance (moderation), discipline, and staying power. These effective time management ingredients remain a challenging balancing act for both the young and old, students and professionals, business executives and homemakers, …
In our next series, we will provide context and perspective on striking a sustainable balance between mission-driven objectives and equally important “digital” downtime. Join us!
Sincerely,
“The “Coach”