šŸ‹ How to Anticipate Distraction

This is issue #111 of LifeLemons. šŸŽ‰ View the rest here.

(sorry to the few people who received this multiple times, I'm still playing around with the email sender address which is causing some issues!)

How to Anticipate Distraction.

Sometimes I can tell when focused work just wonā€™t happen.

Back at university, I made a conscious decision not to work around my friends.

Most students like to occasionally work in social environments where they can chat with friends, grab snacks together or even discuss lectures together.

And whilst thereā€™s an element to group study that canā€™t be replicated in a solo work session, thereā€™s a cost.

The issue with group work is that there are often no rules or boundaries set in place that ensure the focus remains on studying as opposed to socialising.

The result? Distractions.

Some of my friends would look back at some days as having ā€˜spent the whole day in the libraryā€™. The issue was that only a fraction of that time was spent doing deep work. The more they fooled themselves into thinking this was true, the more days they spent compensating for not having truly learnt the subject.

I was far from the brightest in my year group, but one thing I think I did right was to anticipate distractions and keep them far away from my work.

If I went to the university library, I knew that my friends would be there and so, any work of mine that took place there wouldnā€™t be productive. So, Iā€™d only go to the library to hang out.

What that meant was:

  1. I didnā€™t fool myself by thinking that work was done (when it wasnā€™t).

  2. It created a void to fill with necessary study (which I then had to find the time for).

It wasnā€™t until I was in Istanbul last week that I recalled this practice, as I was actively doing it again when hanging out with some friends who I bumped into.

Anticipating distractions helps us to avoid succumbing to them, it means accepting that weā€™re not strong enough to resist them and helps us begin to plan a solution.

Have a great week,

Faisal.

šŸ‹ Are You Enjoying This Newsletter?

Hit and leave a šŸ‹ emoji if you read this far, it's nice to notice my regular readers!

Alternatively, tell me how to improve or share your thoughts with me. I'd appreciate it just as much!

šŸ“Œ Quote of The Week

ā€œPeople fall so in love with their pain, they canā€™t leave it behind. The same as the stories they tell. We trap ourselves.ā€

My Youtube Channel - Dr Faisal Jamshaid

Iā€™m creating a series of meaningful video projects on Youtube (self-improvement, philosophy, productivity, intentional living etc.)

Theyā€™re short, packed with value and always getting better.

šŸ‘‰ Join 2300+ Subscribers on Youtube by subscribing here.

šŸ¤“ About Me

I'm Faisal, a Doctor working in the NHS who writes online and makes Youtube videos on self-development, intentional living and doing the things that matter.

I love writing, storytelling, filmmaking, entrepreneurship and innovating in medical education spaces. If you'd like to go down the rabbit hole and find out more about me, the links below are a good place to start:

Disclaimer: I use affiliate links in this newsletter (always honest recommendations). They give me a small kickback with no extra cost to you.