The art of distraction

This morning I decided to send an email out for upcoming events to subscribers. I started the email, then decided to setup the events on my website for some reason. Then I got distracted by email, then by the internet, then by Facebook. Eventually, I get back to writing it and then I realise I need to update Acuity with the May price changes for my regular classes in Kingston (last two weeks of first class free and six classes for £50 - get it while you can!). Finally back to the email campaign which I start to write. Then whilst looking for images I get distracted by the fact that the regular text at the bottom is wrong. I'm sure I've changed this before. I go to my templates and it's not even in the main template. Then I get distracted by the forward to a friend and how I need to move that into my email. I start looking up how to do that when I think, I would prefer a link to subscribe if it's been forwarded to you and start looking for that. I stop to get a drink and I think I can't believe I've been trying to work on this for over 2 hours and have hardly got anywhere! I think about how distracted I get. So I start writing this blog on the art of distraction - haha!

Does any of this resonate with you? Are you good at procrastination? Or at over-complicating things? Are you easily distracted? I hope I'm not the only one!  

Time to stop and breathe. Time to smile and remember it doesn't have to be perfect. Time to take a step back and feel what is most important today. (Pause...)
Drumroll... 
And the answer I get is, rather unexpectedly, to have some fun. So I'm off now - after finding an image and a quote for this blog - for a walk outside in the lovely sunshine, probably listening to music and quite possibly doing a bit of singing and dancing in the park (very enjoyable and slightly embarrassing when someone spots me). The email will have to wait - it's just not as important right now.

Photo thanks to Xan Griffin and Unsplash

What's most important for you today? Maybe take some time to just sit and breathe and ask yourself the question. How often do you actually ask yourself what you want? (Not including at restaurants etc)

And when you're doing this, try to feel how you feel and let the answer come from this. It's very easy to go into the analysing mind and start thinking about what "should" be most important rather than what actually is most important to you. Pause, take a few breaths, just focusing on the inhale and the exhale with as close attention as you can. Then notice how you're feeling, and what this actually feels like in the body. Perhaps it feels a bit tight in the chest or the throat or the head? Maybe there's a sense of heaviness in some areas or lightness in others? Maybe it feels unpleasant and maybe it feels pleasant. Breathe with however it is and remember to be kind with yourself if it isn't pleasant - just allow it and give this human experience some space and gentleness using the breath. Then you can drop in the question - what's most important right now? And feel what happens in your experience - do you feel some movement, some changes. Breathe with whatever happens and wait, no need to search for an answer, wait for a few breaths and then drop in the question again. What's most important right now? Breathe and feel. What do you notice? What do you need right now?

And if it's to be distracted - go for it! Sometimes keeping the mind busy is an important way of coping when life is tough. Let yourself have that. :-) 

"I am going to keep having fun every day I have left, because there is no other way of life. You just have to decide whether you are a Tigger or an Eeyore."

—Randy Pausch

Before going out and enjoying the sunshine I managed to get distracted by lunch, then by sweeping the garden (unfinished as it was taking too long), then by cleaning the fluff and hair from Alex's hairbrush (unfinished as too fiddly and taking too long). I have definitely mastered the art of distraction, so if you are having any problems not getting distracted enough in your life do get in touch! Please do leave tips in the comments! And if you want to look at what is most important to you and how to get more of that in your life I'm pretty good at helping with that too :-)