5 Simple Ways to Fight Distraction and Prioritize Your Life

This is a Guest Post by Cora Gold

What do you want to do with your life? Do you want to fight distraction and prioritize your life instead of letting it pass you by?

If you haven’t taken a deep dive into that question since your junior high career exploration course, is it any wonder that distractions prevent you from achieving your life priorities?

The first step in achieving a goal is defining it. If you are going to fight distraction and prioritize your life you are going to have to spend time in mindfulness, deciding, “I want to manifest X.” Only then can you take proactive steps to make your dream a reality.

However, the modern world comes at you fast. How can you find the time between the demands of work and family to determine what’s right for you? Here are five simple ways to fight distraction and prioritize your life.

1. Write That Bucket List

Interviews with deathbed patients reveal that most wish they hadn’t worked so hard.

Why?

It prevented them from doing what really mattered to them, from priorities in life, be it missing precious moments with their kids growing up or never seeing the Eiffel Tower at night.

Your first order of business in fighting distraction and prioritizing your life is to make your bucket list.

What would you most regret not doing? Why aren’t you doing it now, and what must you do to make it a reality?

What if Money Holds You Back?

Many people think a lack of money holds them back from their dreams.

In some cases, that’s true. For example, flights are expensive, and it’s not as easy to stow away on a ship as it once was, thanks to security cameras.

However, consider what you truly desire and marry that value to your goal. If your thirst for adventure makes you despair, explore ways to slake your wanderlust on the cheap.

For example, could you find remote work and hit the road in an RV? Are you handy enough to support yourself through odd jobs and not afraid of sleeping in your car when you can’t spring for a motel?

You can nearly always find a way to finance some version of your dream, even if it isn’t what you originally planned.

2. Get Realistic About Time

Stephen King once wrote, “The problem is, you think you have time.” How often do you let “I’m not feeling it today” distract you from your life’s priorities?

It’s crucial to honor your body’s need for rest. However, it’s just as vital to learn the difference between an explanation and an excuse and find suitable workarounds.

For example, do you want to finish a novel but find you avoid the computer after work because a full day of staring at screens leaves your head pounding?

Can you create a tiny habit? Could you commit to writing 15 minutes daily, perhaps over lunch, before you feel exhausted? It might not sound like much, but in a year, you’ll be much further ahead than if you blew off your nightly goal in favor of Netflix. You might even finish your book!

3. Schedule Downtime and Stick to It

Everybody needs downtime — it’s an inevitable part of being human. Taking breaks is important, whether that’s a simple day off or a vacation over the holidays.

Traveling makes you feel younger, and it can lead to reduced stress and boosted creativity.

Instead of getting stuck in the cycle of work day in and day out, make sure to schedule downtime to focus on yourself.

4. Learn to Delegate

Do you struggle to ask for help?

Many people do, especially women, who are accustomed to carrying extra burdens without complaint.

However, do you want to miss out on building a lucrative side hustle that becomes an exciting new career simply because you refused to ask for help with household chores?

Learn to delegate and let go.

If never-ending housework distracts you, hang a chore chart on your fridge. Decide collectively with your family on the penalties for neglecting duties so that there are no hard feelings if consequences follow inaction.

Ease up on critiquing their methods. Remember, you had to learn how to do things the “right way” once, too — release the reins and give your family members similar grace to learn from their mistakes without endless corrections.

5. Adopt Minimalist Principles

There’s little doubt clutter can distract you, crowding your visual field like an unending to-do list.

Adopting minimalist principles aids in reducing the number of chores you must contend with in the first place, and the lifestyle goes beyond limiting your stuff.

Purchasing less is part of it. What you own also owns you. That shiny new car requires regular waxing and manicured lawn fertilizing and mowing, stealing your Saturdays when you could be working on your life’s priorities. Are they truly worth it?

Another aspect is of minimalism is organizing the things in your life that actually do spark joy.

For example, you might not want to part with your collection of skin care products, but the sheer volume of bottles on your vanity makes your bathroom appear constantly messy.

Invest in a second mirror with hidden storage or a basket hanger to quickly stow items out of view and make the space aesthetically pleasing.

Fight Distraction and Prioritize Your Life

Modern life is busy and full of distractions. It’s easy to lose sight of your priorities, but doing so can lead to regrets later in life.

Use these five simple ways to fight distraction and prioritize your life. You’ll create more time for what matters when you spend less on what doesn’t.

When you fight distraction and prioritize a happy simple life you will have no regrets.

Meet the Writer:

Cora Gold is freelance writer who covers minimalism and green living. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of women’s lifestyle magazine, Revivalist. Follow Cora on Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.