Why We Get Distracted

I think we are creatures who are easily distracted.

When I'm doing something, I get interested in something else. And then, I get bored.

“Alright, I'm going to focus and write today.”
Even though I decided that,
10 minutes later I'm running the washing machine,
and 10 minutes after that I'm looking inside the fridge,
and before I know it, I've only added more titles to my note.

Why does this happen? Sometimes I wonder if there are multiple versions of me.

Rather than “focusing on writing,” when I enter a state of hyperfocus, it feels like I just drift into it and time melts away.

Sometimes I really don't understand it myself.

Getting distracted isn't because “I lack concentration.”

I used to think that “not being able to focus = being a failure.”

Getting distracted might actually bea sign that your brain is trying to survive.

Causes of distraction (in my case)

When I feel anxious, I want to run away.

・“Is this life okay as it is?”
→ When anxiety is strong, I can't stay in the “here and now.” My thoughts fly off to the future.

Perfectionism is getting in the way.

・“I feel like I can do better.”
・“Will this expression really get the point across?”
→ In the end, I stop working and escape to something else. The “search for reasons not to do it” begins.

Getting distracted might actually be a “defense mechanism.”

It feels like my brain is sounding an alarm saying, “If we don't get some stimulation, we're in trouble!”
In other words, we hyperactive tuna are just “afraid of our brains getting bored.”

The countermeasures are “don't do it perfectly” and “trick yourself with your environment.”

・Physically move your smartphone away (just having it nearby is an instant death sentence)
・Set a timer and turn it into a “time limit game”
・Write only the note titles first (lower the hurdle)
・“Just start moving” → Sometimes if you move, you can catch the flow.

In conclusion

Getting distracted is not a bad thing.
Rather, it is proof that your “hypersensitive brain” is trying to process things for dear life.

For a tuna that dies if it stops, thinking while swimming is just about right.

It doesn't have to be perfect; just start moving.
If you get distracted, just come back to it.
You can start swimming again as many times as you need.