Eliminating Distractions

Have you ever noticed that sometimes it’s the mundane, innocuous, day-to-day distractions that get in the way of what we want? Sometimes the blockage comes from something that, on its own, doesn’t really have a lot of power or ability to take hold of our goals and dreams. We humans are funny in what we sometimes let get in the way. When I notice distractions getting the best of me, I find these tools to be helpful in getting me back on track!

Set a Time Deadline 

My kids get home from school at 3pm. This time marker helps me prioritize the day and get my “MITs” (Most Important Tasks) done before my kids walk through the door. Anytime I am working on something that isn’t my favorite (we all have those, right!?), a deadline helps me knock it off the list sooner rather than later. I have found that dreading my pending list is not helpful, so sometimes I will start with my least favorite task first to build momentum from there and power through with finishing what I most look forward to doing. 

The “Power Hour”

When my kids get home from school, we take a bit to refuel with snacks and a recap, and then we lock into what we call our “power hour”. This is an hour when we commit to no interruptions (no cell phones, no TV, no snacks, no distractions) as we tackle homework and important tasks in the presence of each other. With everyone focused on their work for an hour, we create a collective energy and stay focused together. I often have my computer out doing some email follow ups or online bill paying so that they see me working, too.  

Pump Up Music 

I’ve carried the practice of cultivating a “pump up” playlist from back when I played soccer. We had songs we listened to before games started to get us pumped up and ready to perform. We all have those songs, and once we get used to listening to them before starting our day, stepping into performance mode, or using them as a pick-me-up, we tune our beings to the important step of priming that precedes anything we set out to do. Shuffle through your favorite music and find a song or two that gets you in the mood to make things happen. Update this list and keep gathering songs and before you know it, you’ll also collect memories of success that are tied to those songs. Those kinds of memories are gold when we need reminding of the greatness inside of all of us!

Here are some of my current favorites: 

“Club Can’t Handle Me” (feat. David Guetta) – Flo Rida

“Radioactive”- Imagine Dragons

“Walkin’ On Sunshine (Re-Recorded Versions) – Katrina

“I Gotta Feeling” – Black Eyed Peas

“Good Life” – One Republic

“Ride” (feat. Gary Clark Jr.) – ZZ Ward, Gary Clark Jr.

“Can’t Stop the Feeling” – Justin Timberlake

“Beautiful Day” – U2

“Happy” – Pharrell Williams

“Hall of Fame” (feat. will.i.am)

Here are some of my kids’ favorites:

“YuNg BrAtZ” – XXTENTACION

“Sincerely, Tokyo” – Ned Flanders (feat. A$AP Ferg)

“Paris”- The Chainsmokers

“Backyard Boy” – Clair Rosenkranz

“Despacito” – Luis Fonsi

Rewards are Fun!

One of my sons detests doing his homework. This same son also happens to love fire. I struggled with how to motivate and support my son with his homework battle, and we settled on a fun and unconventional reward personalized to his quirky personality. If he finishes his work without a bunch of extra drama, we make a copy of it and he gets to burn it up! It makes us laugh and smile, which is the best reward of all. If all my kids do a great job with their schoolwork for the week, I like to build in surprise rewards, too. Sometimes I will surprise them with supplies for a root beer float night. Sometimes we’ll order take out and veg out for the night. Sometimes we’ll share ideas and vote on the fun to be had! The point is to make it fun, light, and specific.