Distractions and Boundaries.

Progressing To Being Unfettered.

So, here’s the jolly old scoop on what I’ve been up to lately. You see, I’ve taken to scribbling a page a day, and the theme I’ve picked is being unfettered. Quite the jolly theme, if I do say so myself. Now, let me regale you with a tale of how I’ve been tackling those pesky distractions that seem to have a knack for popping up like daisies in a spring meadow.

First off, let’s talk about the calendar situation. We’ve been poking about, trying to figure out how to tame the beast, you know? It’s all about keeping those distractions at bay, whether it’s the temptation to procrastinate or just a good old-fashioned case of having too much on one’s plate. We’ve all been there, haven’t we?

Now, when it comes to distractions, there are two flavors: the internal and the external. The internal ones, well, those are the sneaky thoughts that flit about in our minds like butterflies. But it’s the external ones that really give me the pip. Picture this: you’re in the middle of something important, and in waltzes your chatty coworker or, worse yet, the family demanding your attention during a flaming pandemic!

There’s this wise egg named Dr. Gloria Mark who’s done a fair bit of poking around on the subject, and she reckons we’ve got about three minutes and five seconds of solid focus before we’re liable to get whisked away by some distraction or other. And once we’re off on that distraction detour, it takes a good twenty-three minutes to get back on track. Talk about a time sink!

So, we’ve tinkered with calendars and schedulers to rein in our internal distractions, but what about those pesky external ones? Well, that’s where boundaries come in, my dear chaps. Think of it like playing a game of boundary cricket. You’ve got to fend off those distractions like you’re swatting flies.

I’ve had to put my foot down and set some ground rules. No knocking if I’m knee-deep in a meeting, and the best time to catch me is during my breather breaks. As for electronic communication, I’ve cooked up a little protocol for myself. Emails and WhatsApp messages get a response within three working days, and I give my device a well-deserved rest on Sundays.

But you know what I’ve found? People don’t necessarily need an instant response; they just need to know when they can expect one. So, I’ve laid down some informal rules to keep things running smoothly. Need something urgent? Slap an ‘urgent’ in the subject line, and I’ll be sure to give it a gander.

Now, here’s where things get a tad trickier. I’m in the process of shifting from a lone wolf to a team player, and let me tell you, it’s a whole new ball game. Building a team means laying down some precise communication patterns, both within the team and with the outside world. It’s all about creating a community with boundaries that set us free to do our thing.

And there you have it, my friends. The ongoing saga of wrangling distractions and forging ahead, one unfettered step at a time. Cheers to that!

Write A Page A Day challenge

word count 500

#daycountforgetten.