Distractions

Ok, so here’s how my day typically goes.

Sitting down to work, I try to draw up a list of what I want to achieve during the day. I’ve got a checklist of things I should always do, like check the diary for things happening later, checking work rotas to make sure there’s nothing I’m supposed to be doing, etc. I’ll also have a quick scan of email to confirm nothing urgent has come up overnight that requires immediate attention.

Then I settle down to start working through my list. And this is where things always seem to veer wildly off plan. The distractions start heading my way, both external and internal.

First, we use a messaging platform at work to keep the team up-to-date with what is happening. It’s not bad, but there’s a periodic ping of activity as people raise questions and alerts on various subjects. Then, similarly, Outlook chimes its gentle sound of an arriving email.

I’m currently trying a bit of Pomodoro technique to keep those distractions under control, muting the browser for a period of time and then checking in during intervals to be sure not to miss something important. This definitely helps.

Then there are the work distractions of the kind often referred to as yak shaving. While trying to achieve X, I end up getting seriously waylaid on Y or Z. At the moment, I’m moving into some new technologies (if you’re interested - going from mostly python / SQL / analysis, to something more like full-on team development adding lots of JavaScript to the mix). I am still learning the ropes which means that every activity ends up with me taking on new techniques, tools, features, ways of working etc. And they all take time!

The overall result is that I feel like I’m moving sooooo sllooooooowly, as the objectives I’m trying to achieve are diluted by a large number of other things calling on my time.

I’m trying to be intentional about how I set about this, eg using Anki to learn the many things I’m coming across, staying organised etc. But I’m someone who finds it very hard to keep distraction at bay. I would love to hear techniques other people use to stay in control and make forward motion in this kind of situation. I haven’t added comments yet to this post, but I’d love to hear via Mastodon if you have any suggestions!

Photo by Soheb Zaidi on Unsplash