Prevent Small Things From Being Big Distractions

We all have little things that interrupt our ability to get things done.

Interruptions. Small undone tasks. Misplaced items.

What are the little things that are affecting your productivity?

Small Interruptions to Your Productivity

Small things can have a big impact.

Like that splinter that drives you crazy all day long. Or the little rock in your shoe. Or the tag in your shirt that is rubbing you the wrong way… all day long.

The same things can happen to our productivity. Little things can have a large effects.

The other day a small task was really bothering me. I had important work to do, but this small item was on my mind and I could not concentrate on anything until I had taken care of it.

Don’t underestimate the ability of little things to distract or take you off course.

We are often worried about the big things that we need to get done.

But, it’s the little things that often impeded our ability to get things done.

Doubt that little things can have a big impact?

Here are some small things that you need to watch out for:

  • That simple task that is stopping other work from progressing
  • The website that leads to 45 minutes of surfing
  • That small undone task that has now grown to a large one (link)
  • The one piece of information that you are going to need again
  • That idea… that you just forgot…
  • The email notification that constantly interrupts your work
  • That phone call that rings when you are in the middle of something
  • The item that you know needs fixing, but haven’t gotten to
  • That rogue “push” notification that wakes you up in the middle of the night
  • The important item that you lost because you did not put it away

These small things can have a big impact on our creativity and productivity.

Small Things, Big Distractions

Don’t underestimate the power of small things to have a big impact on your productivity.

Take care of the little details so that you can work on the big things.

Otherwise, small things can end up being a big distraction in your daily life.

Question: What small things are distracting you?

4 thoughts on “Prevent Small Things From Being Big Distractions

  1. I’m in agreement on what you said, Craig. But what’s the best way to handle the small things that crop up? How do you ignore the small things as you work?

  2. For me its when I have my auto response turned on on my cell phone–stating that im busy–and the same people keep calling or texting. I can’t turn my phone on silent in case a client calls. If I can’t answer my cell phone, then my friends call my home. I also like to unwind when I get home, maybe check my Facebook, then I start getting ims as if they were waiting for me to log on. Or when people try to hold long texting conversations instead of discussing it on the phone when we can talk. And that one person that assumes I’m up and calls me at 3am after I say I don’t talk past 10 pm. And last (for now) when people have all day to talk, then at bedtime they bring up deep conversation subjects about matters that take deep thought. Id say a lot of distractions are acresult of technology and the expectation that people can have what they want when they want. If you don’t answer right away, they’ll track you down on your cell, your home, then Facebook, then IM, then several texts… Why is it that people take it so wrong like you’re mad at them if you can’t answer your texts with lightening speed? lol and texting, don’t get me started on that…. So much confusion nowadays since text doesn’t show emotion…. that’s a whole new topic lol

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