Happy Fri-YAY!
Damn, I love fall – and one of the perks of living full time in my RV traveling around is I get to choose where I spend the seasons, and right now Southern Maine is NOT disappointing! One of my focus/productivity hacks is working outside. I get lost in the sounds, the nature, and yes – the distractions.
Distractions and/or white noise are incredibly helpful for some and disastrous for others. There are also levels and types – some work great for me, others create a hot mess in my day. What works for me probably won’t be the exact formula that works for you – so you’ll need to test, try, experiment, rinse/repeat until you find what works for you.
It goes back to understanding how you work best – and this is a process and, in fact – you may and probably will change over time! I know – life, right?
Here’s what I know about me – now remember, I have ADD so focusing takes a lot of work and for me, I am far more productive when I take timed breaks. Some people work best when they just sit and knock things out for 4-5 hours – cool! Others need a break every 45 minutes to give their brain a reset. Find your force!
- As noted above, I work in chunks. It’s rare that I get so engrossed in something that I get lost in the hours. It does happen, but not often.
- I cannot – and repeat – cannot – sit behind a desk, in a cubicle, or currently in my RV in the same spot all day and be at my best. It’s too static – ergo no distractions.
- Working outside or in a café – where there is movement, noises help me focus. The white noise helps but it’s more about the little distractions that must give my brain a mini-break YET it doesn’t distract me from my tasks at hand.
- When I’m in a static environment, my mind tends to wander into the overwhelm. I flit from one project to another and am far less productive than when I’m surrounded by action and movement.
- Social media is a distraction disaster for me – YET I utilize it for work so I need to use it daily. I have to be incredibly vigilant to not go down the rabbit hole and y’all it isn’t easy! I try NOT to do my social work until later in the day. I may create posts in Canva and get things ready – but If I start posting and commenting at 9 am – well, the rest of the day is a productivity fail.
- I cannot have music on while I work – nor the TV. I tend to get too engrossed in them – like singing along. I’m also that person that needs to turn off the radio to concentrate when I’m driving in traffic.
- I get my most creative work done in the morning – like writing, designing, strategizing while in the afternoon I do more rote process things like reconciling bank accounts, sales calls, following up on emails, reviewing marketing metrics. I write better in the AM, do math better in the PM. It’s my Right/Left brain function doing its thing. I’m sure some neuroscientist could explain it with some clarity – for me I just know how I work best.
Here’s what you CANNOT do – use distractions as an excuse. You 100% have control over your actions and how you react to situations. If you are struggling with your productivity, you either HATE what you are doing or you are allowing the wrong distractions to get in the way.
Test, Rinse, Repeat – it’s the only way to figure out YOU. There is not just one way. Some people need a closet and zero distractions to work while others like me love to watch squirrels run around while I pound out the hours at my “desk” – both are PERFECT!
Hit reply and let me know how you work best – I love hearing from you and hey – I probably will learn something new and you know I’m a learning junkie!
Cheers and have an awesome weekend! I’m off to find some more lighthouses – it’s my last weekend in Maine for a bit then I’m off to new adventures!!!!
Cheers
CD