Dis-traction

I have a problem. In fact, I have two problems.
Two Dots and Entourage.

These are currently my top two distractions. I have been beating myself up for, firstly, being stuck on Level 585 of Two Dots for almost a week now and refusing to use the booster option, and secondly, that its taken me 2 weeks to get to season 5 of Entourage but I am only just over halfway through my latest book which I have sat with for well over a month now. I have been feeling like a failure for spending my time on these non-productive frivolous activites, when I should really be doing something more constructive with my time.
However, I did manage to pry myself away from both influences long enough to listen to a very interesting podcast on distraction. Ironic right?

I was last night old when I learned that the opposite of distraction is not focused. It’s traction.

A distraction is something we do that moves us away from what we really want.

Traction is an action that moves us towards what we really want.

The Difference Between Traction and Distraction is Forethought

Nir Eyal Author of Indistractable.

Forethought. Planning. Scheduling.

It means the difference between beating yourself up for playing Two Dots when really you should be filling out insurance forms, or savouring a well-deserved break and enjoying the challenge of trying to get to level 586.

It goes back to my word of the year – Intentional. Be intentional with how you spend your time. Plan your day and your weeks out with forethought. Be intentional. Schedule your shit.

It sounds restrictive but it really isn’t. Trust me. For an anxiety-queen, recovering-perfectionist, task-orientated busy-bee like me, scheduling is a gift.

The trick is to schedule in time for relaxation.
Schedule in the hard stuff (work), the ugly stuff (grocery shopping), the mundane but must do stuff (school lunches), and definitely definitely schedule in the zone-out-down-time-nextflix-and-chill-two-dots-obsession time.

I am planning to spend tonight playing Two Dots while bathing, then snuggling on the couch watching Entourage with my special human while my other special little humans are snoring peacefully. I have nothing else on my schedule tonight. This is what I intend to do, and I am going to enjoy it and not feel bad at all.

“You wanna hug it out? Let’s hug it out, bitch.”

Ari Gold