A couple of months ago I heard Cairene as a guest expert on a call hosted by Jennifer Louden for Jen’s Comfort Cafe. I thought the call was absolutely brilliant and that Cairene had a really unique perspective combined with a grounded and practical approach – a powerhouse combo. So I emailed her to let her know how much I liked the call and suddenly we were engaged in interesting conversation and I just had to ask her to share with you her take on distraction and also on creative living. I hope you’ll enjoy her guest post today and also come by tomorrow when she’ll be my guest on Creative Living with Jamie. Thank you, Cairene!
When your inner rebel shows up dressed as distraction.
So you say you’re distracted. Throughout the day your attention wanders all over the place and you can’t get anything done. It’s a real problem.
Okay, I’ll agree that you have a problem. But that problem isn’t distraction.
Distraction is just a symptom of the problem.
If you are willing to pay attention, those moments of distraction can tell you a lot.
When you find yourself checking email or browsing the web or getting up for yet another cup of coffee or cleaning your keyboard with a Qtip when your intent was to do something else, instead of flagellating yourself for your lack of discipline, ask yourself if:
- you’re tired/you need a break
Of course you’re hanging out on Twitter! You just spent two hours immersed in making that special project come to life.
- you’ve exceeded your attention span for this particular kind of task
Perhaps your expectation that you could focus on catching up with six months of filing all in one day was a bit unrealistic.
- you are undecided or unclear about what to do next
Following your gut is all well and good – except it’s not particularly well-organized and has a rotten memory.
- you are anxious or challenged in some way about the task you intend to do
Again, it makes perfect sense that you’re hanging out on Twitter instead of making that phone call to that person about that thing you’d rather not even think about.
- you want to follow an idea/moment of inspiration
You know you should be answering email or paying bills or writing that blog post, but oohoohooh! you just had the greatest idea and you need to chase it down before it gets away from you.
Your inclination may be to squelch your impulse to wander, but don’t slam the door on your inner rebel just yet.
Your inner rebel is your ally, not your enemy. When your rebel shows up in the form of distraction, keep in mind she’s trying to help you understand something about yourself, about what’s happening in your life, about what you need right now. Don’t kick her out. At least not until you find out what she wants to show you.
Basically, distractions come down to being:
- a self-care issue
Perhaps getting outside for a walk would be more restorative than Twitter and a cup of coffee?
- a pacing issue
Think about how you can take small (but frequent) bites of your more odious tasks.
- a transition issue
Sometimes starting with a plan – just a loose outline or some guidelines – is a better idea than winging it.
- an avoidance issue
Do you have tools in your toolbox that help you get calm and focused when you are headed for a freak out?
- or a creativity issue
Is there enough wiggle room in your schedule to allow you to hang out with your muse when it visits unexpectedly? And is there space for regular creative play?
If you bring compassion for what you need (instead of self-punishment and denial) to addressing which forms are issues for you – you will finally be able to solve the “problem” of distraction.
Cairene MacDonald is a business readiness coach and administrative guide. Through classes and one-on-one coaching, she helps independent creative professionals learn how to improve the administration of their businesses, emphasizing right-brain strategies so clients can succeed and still be themselves. Which is just a fancy-pants way of saying she helps people stop hatin’ on their admin grunt work.
Cairene has been helping arty-types get organized one way or another for more than twenty years, supporting designers and architects, art coaches and gallery owners, writers and teachers, among others. The insights gained from these relationships, along with her own experiences as an artist, are the basis of her current work. She knows first-hand the challenges of trying to streamline one’s muse.
Cairene lives in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not preaching her message of administrative reconciliation to the creative masses, she’s probably hanging out with her husband and her dog. Or making something.