We live in an overstimulated world. You wake up, and read innumerable messages, whether directly sent to you or pushed onto your social account from friends or companies. You listen to the radio in the car, or maybe podcasts; more messages. You look out your window, and see signs; more messages. By the time you get to your office, cafe, or co-working space, you have probably taken in a few hundred messages, without being consciously aware.
Is it any wonder then that we are so distracted? These messages swim in our brains, whether we ask to receive them or not and they take up space and distract us from what is in front of us while we are endlessly processing everything else going on around us.
The problem
It’s not only marketing messages and our hundreds of friends on social media that are overwhelming us with information, but it is also — or maybe especially — our work. If you work in any tech or design-related field, you must be on top of the latest news, networking online and offline, attending events, and of course, doing your job. It is a lot.
What all of these unmanaged distractions in our brain do is fool us into thinking that we are oh so incredibly busy. And we are, in a way. We’re busy processing everything. Busy trying not to forget what we are worried we will forget. This makes the smallest of tasks weigh on our shoulders like an unclimbable mountain. Sometimes the task is actually big, of course, but in many cases, if you ask a busy person what they have on — and they are the kind of person who stores their to-do list in their head — they are not going to be able to tell you more than three tasks.
Heycollab ensures that how busy you are is effectively managed
Outsource your mind. If you are overwhelmed with information, get it out of your brain. Everyone will have their different style, and this will depend on the work you do. Find your poison.
Start with a to-do list. Paper or electronic, chances are, once you write your tasks down, those tasks that seemed so mammoth in your mind, they will appear much easier to accomplish.
When you’re completing tasks, track this somewhere. Whether it is a CRM or the workspace on your online team collaboration tool, have a way of acknowledging and removing tasks from your mind and your to-do list or platform, so that those things can not distract you.
The reality is that most of us are busy feeling busy, but this doesn’t always mean that we are. The way to combat this is with proper organization. Implement systems to help you export your brain and set them up so that you can leave those thoughts there. Schedule reminders for all of the things that are not important to you today and then let them go, knowing that you’ll be reminded when you actually need to think about them again.
It is not easy to trust in systems, but thankfully, you can get access to all the tools you need to outsource and organize your mental clutter in one place with Heycollab. Start your free trial here.