I get distracted very easily.

Whether I’m doing something I enjoy or not, the chance that I’ll get pulled into a different, more interesting direction is almost guaranteed.

Last week, I found myself in one of those derailments when I felt the need to change the color scheme in my task management system so I could better plan out my week based on the color of each task bucket.

At first glance, this doesn’t feel necessary. Why would I waste time on something so small when there are actual tasks to be done?

But the thing is… this small, seemingly unnecessary task did make me feel more organized and motivated to plan out my week and tackle the day’s tasks with more excitement.

Instead of shaming myself out of following the color-coded dopamine, I gave myself 25 minutes to look at color palettes on Pinterest and update TickTick. I even set a timer so I wouldn’t get carried away.

I allowed myself to fall down the rabbit hole ever-so-slightly and nothing bad happened! It actually improved my focus (vs. trying to force myself to move away from what I really wanted to do.)

Sometimes I hear people say things like, “I’m cleaning off my desk because it makes me feel like I’m being productive even though I’m not.”

But tbh, cleaning my room, while not specifically on my list of things to do, does often help me focus better once it’s done.

So next time you feel tempted by distraction, befriend it for 25 minutes and then try to get back to what you were doing.

Peace, love and rabbit holes,

Andrea