Fleeting Attention Is Detrimental To Potential.

About 2-2 1/2 years ago, I was a slave to notifications (Yes, I prioritise notifications that are for my clients channels as number one digitally) but my own personal notifications wait.

I remember when I was drowning in direct messages. Having multiple conversations a day with people from all around the world (I still have conversations now, but they are less frequent and more meaningful than the daily 'check in' 'how you doing' 'surface level' conversations).

I was drowning and I mean drowning ... I wasn't my priority and I can absolutely tell you that I had digital brain fog! I know many now who are in this position RIGHT NOW! When you have so many multiple stimuli from so many places, it really impacts your ability to think, create and perform.

The digital world (particularly for those who work in it) is a hugely consuming space. It is responsible for our ever decreasing attention and ability to concentrate and focus. When a notification comes in (and we allow it in) it removes our focus from the thing we are focusing on and changes the direction of our minds. Returning back to the task we were doing before we allowed ourselves to become disrupted becomes increasingly difficult as we let in more and more disruptions/notifications.

Couple with this the strong desire that we have to be 'seen' this means that many take on more and more tasks meaning that even more disruptions come into play, taking more attention and making attention more fleeting than it was before. It is an increasingly challenging place without the discipline to control where our time and attention goes online.

For me, I have had to become far more disciplined to not engage in every personal interaction immediately. If you are doing this I can guarantee that it is impacting on your ability to produce effective work, your ability to be creative and your ability to be happy... living in a constant fleeting state is detrimental to potential.

As beings, we have become more comfortable with consuming more than we actually create. We consume through various channels, groups, messengers, chats and conversation threads.

When you step back from this and allow yourself to run your own schedule, without being a slave to your phone or notifications I can promise you this, your brain will become more relaxed, you are more focused, you create better, you perform better, you are happier and you are less distracted.

Working so heavily in digital, I have to prioritise and be very very strict with managing notifications so that I can be of optimal performance for myself and for my clients. Without that strict stepping back, my creativity for myself and for them is lacking and that doesn't work.

Just because you work in digital does not mean you need to be a slave to your phone. But rather, you need to be very selective and prioritise in terms of what makes you happy, balanced and performing at your best so you can run effectively and optimally for your life, your close relationships your clients and your business.

Do not feel bad settling down with a book to expand your mind.

Do not feel bad binge watching a series to give your brain a rest.

Do not feel bad spending hours working on a piece of writing or a video.

Do not feel bad about spending time with your special one to just love and live! 

Do not feel bad having a night or two off social media to actually be social without recording the whole thing for the rest of the world to see.

Your attention is fleeting BUT your brain is precious; treat it so. When you want to look after your body ... you go to the gym, When you want to look after your mind and be at your absolute best in all areas of your life, feed your brain ... stop the attention from fleeting and be disciplined with yourself, Everything WILL dramatically improve in all areas of your life when you step back and control the disruptions you allow in.