The Detour Project

One Thing at a Time

This morning I got caught in a loop of continuously checking my email every few minutes and reading a bunch of different blogs, jumping from one website to the next. I was scattered and distracted, and I wasn’t getting any of my work done. These cycles generate lots of unnecessary stress and anxiety. It’s crazy how fast we can stress ourselves out going in circles like this and how much time can get wasted.

Here’s what I’ve found works best whenever I find myself stuck in a loop:

1. Recognize that you are behaving / reacting / responding in this way and acknowledge that staying stuck in this cycle will only make things worse.
2. Bring yourself back to the present moment by pausing to to take a few deep breaths.
3. Remind yourself that you are capable of doing only one thing at a time, and pick a task. It doesn’t matter how big or small.
4. After you’ve chosen your task, eliminate all distractions. (e.g. turn your phone off or on silent, quit out of your web browser and email, log out of Facebook, etc. Focus only on your chosen task.)
5. Finish what you’ve started, cross it off your list, and move on to the next.

Simple, I know. But effective. You’d be surprised to know how often I need to remind myself of these steps. Next time you get “caught in the loop”, try this out and let me know it goes!

Cheers,
- Dennis