I Need to Stop Getting Distracted by the Minutia of Life

My twenty-four hours in each day are being threatened by my lack of clear focus.

If you ask me about my goals and the unending list of items on my To-Do list, you would think I’m a pretty busy person. I have lofty dreams and a never-ending list of projects — some I’ve already undertaken, others are still on the “maybe someday I’ll get these to the drawing board” stage. By my best estimate, I cannot possibly live long enough to accomplish everything I think I want to do in this world — especially if I continue to get in my own way with a host of petty distractions.

I know I’m not the only person who looks at their schedule for the day and gets frustrated by the randomness of their efforts. When others complain to me about how difficult they find it to do what needs to be done, I am usually the first one to chirp out my favorite cliché:

“You have the same twenty-four hours a day as everyone else.”

As if casting blame on their inability to manage their time effectively is some sort of character flaw. Much to my chagrin, I am the last person who should be pointing fingers.

I’ve read many of the self-help books that promise to recreate a perfectly organized life in thirty days or less. I’ve made lists. I’ve kept journals of my progress on individual projects. I’ve gotten up earlier in the morning, stayed up later at night and tried to multi-task whenever it seemed appropriate. I’m no further ahead using any of these methods than I am when I abandon my organizational efforts and just work at my usual haphazard speed.

Life is more complicated today than I found it to be in my youth. If that statement shocks anyone, then you have probably been living under a rock for the last decade or two. I think I know why life took a turn for the complicated — technology. Before you start typing out the hate mail, hear me out. I love technology. It has opened up a world of endless possibilities in my life. It is the reason I have so many ideas, goals, dreams and high expectations for myself. Technology has opened up the world to me — and to you — in crazy, wonderful ways. Too many crazy, wonderful ways. I just wish I could control it more than I allow it to control me.

Just to give you an example of how my exposure to the outside world has blossomed in my own lifetime, consider this observation. I grew up in a smallish community where cable television was just a rumor of things to come in the future and the Internet was a word I did not know at all. We always got one good television station. If the wind was blowing in the right direction, we might get a second one. Television and the connection it brought to the outside world was not a big deal in my young world. I was very organized and productive in the use of my time. I read widely. I learned to cook, bake, sew and a host of other rather useful domestic skills. I was a great student. I had “real” friends and we actually interacted face to face, with an occasional telephone call to stay current.

To the best of my recollection, I was able to accomplish everything I wanted to accomplish in a relatively consistent fashion. My life was calm, productive and . . . organized.

My first real exposure to computer technology came in college, but even then it was secondary to every other intellectual outlet and input in my life. I learned some basic programming skills and considered myself well versed in technology. But, my world still existed in a paper and pencil sense — always in the here and now. I knew what needed to be done and I knew how to find the time, no, I “made” the time to accomplish my goals.

I was still in charge.

I’m not exactly sure when the technology explosion came for me. But, it did come to me. Once I needed a computer to do my job, it was only a small step to realizing I absolutely “needed” a computer at home. When I started fumbling my way through the Internet, I was hooked! I realized there was a new and untapped (by me, at least) world where I could find an outlet for all my pent up writing urges. I could learn virtually anything and everything with online classes, videos, and websites on every topic imaginable. I could download and read every book ever published if I so desired. Somewhere in there is where I think I lost control of my time. Yes, I could do “anything” on the Internet. The problem arises when I try to do “everything” on the Internet.

Yes, I love technology. It gives me every little piece of every little thing. Facts, figures, options, editorials, classes on every subject imaginable — an uncharted world of knowledge and outlets — all for the taking. I want to be both contributor and consumer of the world technology brings to the world. I want to write, produce videos and podcasts, take online classes on “everything,” read profusely via my Kindle Unlimited account, shop on Amazon and stay current with world affairs as they happen. It’s a chaotic world in my muddled mind. It’s no wonder I find myself distracted by every shiny object that flashes before me on my screen. It is said that recognizing a problem is the first step to finding a solution. We’ll see about that.

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