"To do two things at once is to do neither."
'Attention span' used to be prominent in the 'Needs improvement' section of my report card. My 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Manders appropriately nicknamed me Noodle because I would slither from my chair to the floor when I lost interest in the subject matter, or was seeking attention, or both. 😁 It was easier for me to stay engaged when I was interested in the material. When I became uninterested, I lost focus and would stare off into space, doodle or turn into the Class Kluski noodle who just took a spill to the floor, yet again.
I am more disciplined and less distracted now. Although, I still stare off into space and I love to doodle! 🤩 Most importantly, I have more focus and get more stuff done. I still get distracted by falling down YouTube rabbit holes and mindlessly scrolling Twitter. I learned to leverage my fun distractions into a reward system as part of my own little meritocracy. I earn those memes a the end of each blog! 😁 Delayed gratification helps keep me on task. I dangle bigger rewards in front of myself for bigger goals. It's not a perfect system, but it works for me.
I have learned accomplishing large goals involves completing a string of smaller tasks that keep pushing us toward the sometimes seemingly distant finish line. While it is important to begin with and hold the end in mind, we also have to acknowledge and celebrate the small victories along the way. Baby steps toward success!
By keeping my eye on the ball I eventually rack up enough hits to score more runs. I don't need home runs. I don't even need to get on base every time. I just need to keep stepping up to the plate and focusing on the next pitch. If I keep getting distracted by the hot dog vendor or the beautiful canvas of green grass in the outfield I am much more likely to go down swinging, or even worse, watch perfect strikes whizz by. Sometimes in our profession or in life, we are only as good as our last at bat. Every pitch is another opportunity for us to connect with our best swing. This is why I keep my eye on the ball.
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