How to use distraction to fuel creativity and innovation

Sirene26
4 min readSep 21, 2021

Contrary to popular opinion, distraction is not always your enemy

Photo by Harold Wijnholds on Unsplash

We are constantly finding ways to fight distraction. Books have been written about how to avoid distraction. For a while, I was determined to fight distraction and be more productive. Until I discovered distraction was my friend.

Isn’t it funny we find ways to not be distracted when in fact we are being distracted from our actual purpose? Society wants to keep us busy and overwhelmed; fully distracted so that we do not find time to focus on what matters.

Go to university, earn degrees, get a job, get promoted, put our heart and soul in climbing the proverbial ladder. Then buy things to entertain us. Buy a house, buy a car, buy gadgets, buy entertain. Encourage capitalism and fuel the pockets of billionaires. Keep us distracted.

Because the moment we pull away from the demands of daily life, we start becoming attuned to what really matters. And how we have been living in a box. That is ladies and gentlemen, the true distraction which works against us.

Do not be distracted at work. Focus and produce. Distracted by emails? Here are a few ways to not get disturbed by email notifications when in fact they form part of the job. New government laws and regulations, that increase our tax burden. Further financial distraction. We become too stressed with real life to actually focus on the right things.

If you were a distracted kid at school, chances are you will have been called an underperformer or someone with a ‘problem’. Not being interested in maths or the science is not a condition. Maybe you were simply not interested, instead of being distracted.

Maybe your mind is telling you this is not for you, yet you are being forced by the system. People who are easily distracted are called a variety of names: scatter-brained, airheads, daydreamers, forgetful ones.

All those are good characteristics, but in the right context.

Distraction could be the clue to your passion, your next project, your next idea.

I have discovered when I am constantly distracted when doing something simply means am not interested. I have no problem focusing when I want to, I am a post-grad with a solid resume.

Yet if I was not distracted by the thoughts of distraction, I would not be able to write. In fact, I would not be able to write at all. Any distraction is leading me to my creative side and my intuition.

Sure, not all distractions are light bulbs moments. Your kid waking up in the night is a distraction to your sleep. Your neighbour hosting a party at night and disturbing your work is not a good distraction.

But inner distraction is a beacon, giving us hints on what truly matters to us. The fact that we have been conditioned to operate in a certain manner, the fact that long hours of productivity are so highly prized is giving distraction a bad name.

A good dose of distraction is good. Great work is done in bouts, catalysed further by periods of distraction. In my own life, when I am thoroughly distracted, I found I am on the verge of a breakthrough. Either a new idea, a new strategy or a new direction.

The problem is we are not attuned to it. We do not know how to use it properly. If we are giving away 8 hours plus of our daily life in return for money, we cannot afford to be distracted.

Distraction is key to creativity and innovation. We just do not know how to use it. The best technique I have found is noting it down, I note every little thing down. Instead of saying let’s stop being distracted and re-focus, become aware of the thought or idea that just crossed your mind. Note it down.

Distraction is often confused with procrastination and sadly so. Procrastination is the delaying of tasks, pushing things you have to do until the last minute. It is a different story.

Distraction is a necessary tool for daydreamers, artists and inventors. Except they call it inspiration.

We can all harness the power of distraction, but it starts by not beating ourselves up when our focus is being diverted. Use it by becoming self-aware, observe your thoughts and write it down. It could be guided you to your future life path or to your future masterpiece!

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Sirene26
Sirene26

Written by Sirene26

Top writer. Life Lessons through Work|Health|Personal Growth. Self-published author : www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPYWN9F2

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