Comments on: How to Focus in a Heavily Distracting Time

By: Dee

Dee — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:05:01 +0000

I look forward to reading The Simple Dollar each morning and have mentioned various posts to my husband from time to time. He is the politics addict in our home, so I couldn’t help but forward this post to him. He’s a creative professional and found your tips very helpful – election or no.

Thanks for posting great, quality content! It’s excellent, and I look forward to reading more from you in the future!

By: deepali

deepali — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:42:00 +0000

Lighten up, Trent. A person doesn’t have to work ALL the time. :) This was a historic election, and let’s not forget the sacrifices people have made so that it could be possible (from revolutions to suffrage to civil rights). The world doesn’t end because we put down our burdens for a few hours.

By: Live for Improvement

Live for Improvement — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:07:00 +0000

There will always be distractions in life. Being able to accomplish goals amongst all the distractions is a powerful skill, and it identifies the achievers who are destined for success. I enjoyed this article, keep inspiring others.

Best regards,
Dan Malone

By: J

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:07:08 +0000

Of course, you could also take a step back and know that you want to spend the day following the election results and make sure you get all of your stuff done so you can do what you want.

Life’s not all about being productive and processing checklists. Are you going to be worried that you aren’t getting work done while you are having Thanksgiving dinner with your family or watching your kids open Christmas presents? Of course not. If you really, really want to watch election returns you should probably work a little extra beforehand and sit back and enjoy your leisure. It’s not like election day is something that comes up as a surprise.

By: Stop Getting Cheated

Stop Getting Cheated — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:28:06 +0000

Excellent suggestions, Trent. I had never thought about scheduling predetermined breaks before. That’s smart.

Nice job.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:51:32 +0000

I guess my company did it right today, then. We moved offices so I was off half the day while the movers packed up, then went in in the P.M. to make sure all my stuff was put away correctly. Tomorrow I get to organize my new office and help others as needed.

By: KJ

KJ — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:42:23 +0000

Great post, Trent, and good timing for those of us on the west coast! My afternoon was _tons_ more productive, thanks to this helpful reminder. Now back to the map…

By: A Dawn Jornal

A Dawn Jornal — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:15:32 +0000

Some people can work and listen to music at the same time. I need absolute quiet environment to work and perform my best. Also, my workstation has to be neat and tidy.
Cheers,
A Dawn Journal
http://www.adawnjournal.com

By: beth

beth — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:37:44 +0000

But… I *am* working! Really! *cough*

A well-timed afternoon post for me, to remind to to step away from the Internet for a few moments and concentrate on some of my projects that are feeling neglected (especially before my boss notices).

The polls aren’t closing yet anyway, and the entire household will be glued to the TV all night, so there’s no need to refresh the headlines every 10 minutes on all of the national and local web sites. …yet.

By: doctor S

doctor S — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:15:54 +0000

I really enjoyed this post and agrree with Dave about seeing this in the AM. I am going to just have to read it first thing when I get into work tomrrow morning

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:06:37 +0000

I second the AlphaSmart. It goes anywhere, runs for hours and hours on AA batteries, and holds several files at once. You can sit up in bed and type, type, type — and then run the file(s) into your computer or printer.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:49:27 +0000

Have you ever tried using an AlphaSmart for your writing? I adore mine because it does only one thing: process words. No e-mail, internet, iTunes, or anything else to distract me. It makes reaching my daily word quota much easier.

By: Des

Des — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:48:46 +0000

“and for millions and millions of other people on both sides of political discourse.”

Both sides? Are there only two?

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:48:11 +0000

Good post, and great suggestions – but this would have been helpful as your morning post instead of your afternoon post, since then we could REALLY utilize the whole day!

By: Johanna

Johanna — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:35:50 +0000

On election day 2004 I was busy preparing and practicing my PhD thesis defense (which I presented the next day). This year I have no such focus for my attention. I did get a good amount of work done today, but this evening I’ll be glued to the election returns, I suppose.

By: Your Friendly Neighborhood Computer Guy

Your Friendly Neighborhood Computer Guy — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:24:45 +0000

While I think it is a great concept to minimize distractions and focus on tasks, taking one day out of every four years(or two years if you’re REALLY into it) to be distracted while watching the democratic process unfold before you, is one of the better distractions one could sucumb to. Great tips though!

By: Derek

Derek — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:08:05 +0000

I needed this to come out earlier in the day, Trent… :)

Just kidding. Another handy, tip-filled article. Kudos.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:06:59 +0000

Oh yes, this is very well-timed. I keep telling myself that there will not be any substantive information about the elections until 8pm – and then I trot over to CNN to try to distract myself with other news. Fool! Aliens could land on the White House lawn and the only reports would be to reference the effect on lines at the voting booth.

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:39:36 +0000

All are great ideas. And I won’t use a single one because I am more than a little obsessed with this election and praying that shenanigans will be kept to a minimum.

In anticipation of overwhelming voter turnout and very long days for everyone I’ve already baked various goodies and dropped them at two precincts. And depending upon what the local news reports about local voter turnout I may deliver more tonight. Since I can’t volunteer, this is my way of thanking workers and encouraging tired voters to stay and cast their vote.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:33:58 +0000

If my schedule permits, I find that the best way to get something–anything–done on a day of distractions is to attack a very physical job, one that leaves the mind relatively free to ponder politics, a friend’s crisis, whatever. This approach enabled me to clear out a very cluttered mudroom once while I was waiting for the vet to come put down a sheep with tetanus. Sad for the sheep, good for the mudroom. Lacking sheep and mudrooms now, I still have plenty of grubby jobs waiting for me that will be very satisfying to tackle and finish. I’d better get going before the returns start coming in….