Of course I started my day with a plan. I had a list of things I wanted to do. Or so I thought. Instead of getting on with things I fell asleep again!
Of course, one side of the story is that I was working late last night and had to be up much too early. Another side is that I had no appointments so it was ok for my list to slide. There is a third side though. It seems I had filled my day up with distractions. Stuff that could probably wait. All in order to avoid some of the things I really had to do. It’s hard working out what is a distraction and what is a necessary action. Especially when I factor in my intuition.
All day I was going to catch up on posting my events to my Facebook business page. Especially the one about the Reiki Refresh this evening. All I managed was a couple of sentences later in the day. By the time the event rolled around I was busy moving furniture at the Centre because water was leaking through the ceiling tiles. I had to cancelled the group anyway. So that item on my list was definitely one to slide. Even if it was the distraction of other things that got in the way first.
Another thing that got put to one side was my plan to book more mediums. A task I was busy with yesterday and planned to continue today.
Instead I spent my time on the phone with someone from a work placement my daughter has soon. Then her college because they didn’t know what they had sorted out. And then a call to someone who needed a bit of support with some changes they were making. Once again all of these were potential distractions. However they all seemed to me to be higher priority. And that’s the thing about distractions. Sometimes I need to flow with them. It’s my choice to put my planned stuff on one side. So I don’t worry about changing track when I need to.
I feel that’s the most important thing about distractions. What do I have to put on one side, why and is it the right thing for me to be doing at that moment? Some days I know that my distractions are me avoiding challenging work or situations. Occasionally the distractions are me self sabotaging. Often the distractions are the things that need to have my focus for all the best of reasons. When I get side tracked I allow myself the flexibility to have that happen. I do what I feel is best. But afterwards I always consider why my to do list is half done.
There is a great deal of benefit in setting things on one side. I notice that sometimes what I’ve planned to do is actually someone else’s responsibility. Or it’s a task that didn’t need doing. Maybe things have changed and my task is no longer necessary.
Looking at it that way I understand that it’s not about me getting side tracked. It’s more about me, often intuitively, knowing where best to focus my energy. I don’t have endless energy. No matter how much I can cram into my days. I have to have a sense of priorities. And not those that other people think I should have. In the end what I’m trying to do is be there for myself and others to the best of my ability. I work hard at trying to spot when my distractedness is an excuse for avoiding a tough job. Or anything that doesn’t make me feel excited to be doing it. I hope that most of the time I get the balance right.
Next time you find yourself going off track ask yourself why. You might get some interesting answers.
Day 371 of my blogging challenge.