Ever feel like you’re being pulled in a hundred different directions?
If you’re like most of us, it might seem impossible to figure out what exactly you should focus on at any given moment.
For example… should you focus on creating your information product? Or building your ecommerce business? Or finally mastering a traffic source?
While you debate what it is you should be doing…
Not only time is passing… but worse - it gets actively hijacked by others who do know what they want. It might be the media (social and traditional), it might be coworkers, it might even be members of your family.
Doesn’t matter.
Because once you’ve lost control of your time, you’ve lost control of your outcomes.
Would you agree that if you were able to focus on one single thing for, let’s say three years, you probably would have no problem becoming great at that thing?
Most people will say…
“Well, gee, I can’t wait for three years, I need to get something going now!”
This is what bugs me.
They say that but what they end up doing (instead of “getting something going”) is they try and start 100 things, but never ever see any of them through.
I know you’re smarter than that, so let’s just look at a neat little thought exercise.
What if someone approached you today, in the next five minutes, and told you that you are going to be a millionaire, but you just had to sit tight for three years. Pretty good deal, right? Suddenly three years doesn’t seem like all that much time.
Yet, most people would find ways to screw even that up.
Here’s the interesting part.
If that happens to you, know that it’s not even your fault.
The modern world is built on distraction.
They even have a name for it.
Attention Economy.
The most precious resource in the modern world is our attention. Some of the brightest minds in the world are working around the clock to figure out ways to capture and keep it. They use scientific research and they use our survival instincts that make us react to fear mongering, they use behavioristics and pattern recognition, anything they can to make sure we spend more and more time on social media apps, games, news, and so on.
The more time we spend on any platform (the more attention we pay) the more valuable the platform becomes to someone else.
Attention is the new currency, and it’s more valuable than the currency you have in your bank account.
Since attention is so valuable…
It’s no wonder that everything has been made addictive… distracting… and just plain loud.
No wonder you - and a lot of other people - can’t resist the distractions.
Now let’s compare this to what you actually need to do in order to get something done.
If you want to write a book, you need to sit down and write. Compared to the colorful lure of all the distractions in your smartphone, computer, and TV… it’s boring!
If you want to lose weight, you need to eat the right stuff and go to the gym. Compared to fast food and sitting in front of the TV… boring!
No wonder you feel distracted all the time. You’re fighting an uphill battle.
So how do you take the boring stuff and make it exciting…
So that you almost reach your goals on autopilot?
You’ll be surprised… but it’s simpler than it seems.
There’s certainly no need for crazy “dopamine detoxes” - which is a craze in Silicon Valley - and basically it means you isolate yourself from any activity you enjoy doing or which stimulates the brain - like browsing your phone, TV, listening to music, or even reading or any hobby. Basically you sit in a gray room with no windows and wait for your brain’s dopamine receptors to reset themselves… which is probably every bit as tedious as it sounds.
It’s not actually possible.. If you were to actually fast from dopamine, it would probably be fatal, according to one doctor.
However, what, in my opinion, it actually accomplishes is that it lets our brain rest from the crazy distractions of the modern world.
A lot of our susceptibility to distractions comes from pure exhaustion. It’s a way we try to rest for even a little while. The problem with it, of course, is that going on Facebook is not real rest… if anything, it makes us more tired. But the quick dopamine hit tricks us - our brain’s reward systems get hijacked, in other words.
So let’s dig into how you can reprogram your habits… and in the process, feel more rested, focused, and get way more done.
First of all, consider adding meditation to your daily life.
Gone are the days when meditation was considered new-agey. Now, the science is in… and it’s been proven that meditation reduces stress, controls anxiety, promotes emotional health, lengthens attention span, and so on… all the things you need to succeed.
Second, start small.
Things take time.
Making meaningful changes to your life is like trying to turn around a huge freight ship going full steam ahead. You can’t just flip it around. You slow it down, and then you gradually turn it around.
Think of it this way…
One healthy meal will not suddenly make you super fit and athletic. A month of eating healthy, on the other hand, will produce a noticeable difference. A year? People might not recognize you.
We’re too used to instant gratification.
And most people overestimate what they can do in a day - and underestimate what they can accomplish in a year.
Start small.
Win.
To Your Success!
Steve.
Master Online Entrepreneur
