Distraction is the Biggest Killer of Success

Being distracted is a deadly sin that most people commit. According to a study conducted in April 2006 by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it is estimated that "distractions are a contributing factor in 8 out of every 10 police-reported traffic crashes, or an estimated 4 million crashes per year."

Being distracted is so easy nowadays. A common scenario is this...

You reach home and you told yourself you had to study for your test or you had to complete your work assignment. But the moment you open the door and you see the television being switched on to your favorite channel, you stop in your steps and immediately, your eyes get fixed on the television box as if you were under a spell.

Probably, you didn't even notice that you left your house keys right at the door. You slammed the door shut, and just like in a trance, you move towards the sofa. You sit down and hours passed by.

By the time the TV program ends, you find yourself getting 'stuck' again. You're running out of time and anxiousness builds up. You feel frustrated. It is not the first time you got distracted away from your work and what's worse? You might have to stay up late in order to complete your assignment or study for your test. Awwww...

Most often than not, people get distracted in their lives. And based on the biographies of successful people, we all know that having focused is one of the greatest and invaluable traits that we can possess.

In order to experience success in your career and whatever you're doing, you must develop a strong focus. Always ask yourself what your main objectives are in your career, your home business and learn to focus on them. You'll find yourself generating results you never thought you could.

It is always useful to have a 3 by 5 index card in front of you listing down all the main objectives that you want to meet for the day or for a particular period of time.

In fact, if you're a writer, it is recommended for you to have this card being placed in front of you so that for whatever stories that you are writing, you can remain focused and not get out of point.

Be able to remain focused is a learned skill. As you may already realize, if you are doing things that you are truly interested and passionate about, remaining focused is not difficult. The challenge comes when you are doing something you have no interest in.

Again, it will be very useful to have all your objectives written down on a card or a paper and keep it in front of you all the time. If you're an office worker, you might consider getting Post-It! notes where you can write down all the objectives you had to do for the day or a time-frame that you have set for yourself, and stick in at the side of your monitor screen.

Remember, being distracted will kill you and your success. Learn to develop focus and you'll find yourself facing lesser stress. And in case you're wondering how you can fully apply what you've learned in this post, here we go...

Practical Action Steps

Now, here are the actions that you might want to take if you find yourself constantly being distracted away from what they are supposed to do:

1. Get Post-It! notes or 3 x 5 index cards
2. List down all your objectives to be met or all your tasks to be completed
3. Set a time-frame for each of the tasks to be completed
4. Keep the notes or card in your view ALWAYS
5. Constantly check back at the note/card and make sure that you are doing activities that are truly necessary for you to complete the tasks

Once again, I'll have to repeat that distraction can kill your success. Go ahead and follow the 5 steps and you'll be dazzled with your increased productivity.

Start today, as what the Chinese Philosopher Lao Zi says, "A Journey of A Thousand Mile Begins With One Step".

Being a personal development blogger for the past few years, Dominic Tay has written over 60 articles in the area of self help which benefited over 3,000 people worldwide. Visit his blog, "A Blog on Success" at http://www.dominictay.com/blog.