Hey Reader,

It’s Monday morning.

You just woke up, rolled over to turn the alarm off, and dragged yourself out of bed.

Another dreadful start to a new week.

Brush teeth, get dressed, and brew coffee.

Thank God for coffee.

An hour later, it's time to make the commute to work.

As soon as you hit your first red light, instincts take over.

Red light. Stop. Pull phone out. Check socials. See notification bell. Open. Respond. Exit. Get lured into Instagram feed.

Next thing you know, the person behind you honks for the 3rd time.

F*ck you, asshole!

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The Blind Curse of Mindless Distraction

How many times have you found yourself in that boat before?

Going through the motions just to kill the time?

I still battle the temptation to check social media constantly. Some days, I don’t even think about checking. Other days, I can’t stop my thumbs from seducing me.

If only we realized how much those mindless 30-second distractions pull us away from who we want to become.

Hear me out.

Let’s be generous and say you actually had the willpower to only distract yourself for 30 seconds each time (because we all know how powerful things like socials are at distracting us for much longer).

Do that twenty times over the course of a day and that’s 10 minutes of your time and energy.

You might be thinking to yourself, well, 10 minutes ain’t that bad. How much could that possibly hurt?

Let me introduce you to a concept called Context Switching.

Context switching is "our tendency to shift from one unrelated task to another."

For example, let’s say you’re sitting down (like I am right now) to write a newsletter.

You’re in writing mode, but suddenly your best friend calls and he’s dying for help. He’s in a sticky situation with a client and doesn’t know what to do.

As he’s venting, you’re manually switching your brain from writing mode to listening mode.

“Appreciate you Reader, thanks for the advice and hearing me out. I’ll keep you posted.”

You hang up the phone feeling satisfied you could help a brother out. But now… you must get back into writing mode.

So you stare at the canvas again. You read and reread what you typed out earlier but struggle finding your flow again.

According to a team of researchers at the University of California, Irvine, it can take up to 25 minutes to fully regain focus after even a short 3-minute interruption.

No wonder it’s so difficult getting back into writing mode.

Feeling hopeless, your instincts take over again and now you’re back at the red stoplight distracting yourself with social media.

Fun fact:

Johnathan Spira, CEO of the research firm Basex, concluded that 28 billion man-hours are wasted each year because of context switching.

This is how distractions, context switching, and a lack of boundaries will keep you stuck.

If you keep on this path, you’re more likely to feel:

• Lack of fulfillment
• Stressed & anxious
• Addicted to your phone
• Scatter-brained
• Meaningless

I know how it feels, so today I’m going to share with you 3 different ways to solve this problem that have worked for me.

You ready?

Let’s context switch from problem to solution.

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Solution #1: Master The Art of Doing Nothing

Blaise Pascal, a French physicist and mathematician from the 1600s, once wrote…

“All of humanity's problems stem from a man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

At first, boredom is scary. You’ll feel the instinctual behavior kick in to check your phone after just a few minutes.

Maybe it’s because you’re scared of the thoughts that come up.

This is usually the case (it was for me).

I didn’t know how to handle negative thoughts. My self-sabotage had strength over me, so anytime I could deter, I would.

But here's the key:

If you want to gain control over your mind, you must sit with discomfort.

The reason you desire to pull your phone out is because you’re seeking comfort. Pulling social media out makes you feel a sense of ease, because it’s familiar.

The beautiful thing is, it won’t always be this uncomfortable. The only reason it is right now is because your brain is used to distracting itself with mindless activities.

Raising awareness is the first step to solving this problem.

Be mindful of your behaviors, instincts, and feelings.

Then, slowly rewire your brain to make the positive change through intention.

It’s the only way to actually make progress in your life.

Over time, you’ll fall in love with solitude. It’ll turn into meaningful dopamine – not a meaningless waste of it – and a deeper relationship with yourself.

Which obviously pays more dividends than scrolling on social media.

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Solution #2: Set Up Boundaries

If you don’t set boundaries, who will?

Once you’ve raised your awareness to your behavior, the next step is to set boundaries.

For example, I don’t take calls until 2p and hardly take any during the weekend unless it’s a loved one. That’s because I’m protecting my energy.

Protecting your energy = protecting your potential.

I understand you might have something like a sales position where your finances depend on taking calls, so take this with a grain of salt.

The point is if you can protect your energy, do it. Set the boundary yourself.

Not making a decision is still a decision.

Set the boundaries now... while you can.

But first, what’s your goal?

Is it to gain control over your instincts?

Is it to develop a deeper flow in your day-to-day?

Is it to prevent yourself from feeling like shit every time you log off social media?

Get clear on that before creating a million boundaries and spreading yourself thin. I suggest setting one boundary at a time.

Create a target so you can hit the target.

If you don’t know where to aim, you’ll never hit the bullseye.

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Solution #3: Leverage The Pain of Distraction

Change happens when the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change.

Let yourself feel the pain of distraction.

Notice how much of an impact those 30-second social media habits are costing you.

Notice how much context-switching is robbing you of your focus.

Notice how much better work you could do if you were in control.

When I realized how miserable I kept feeling at the end of the day, I eventually forced myself to change.

Pain can be a useful lever in achieving your goals. Don’t brush it under the rug.

It’s the difference between someone who checks their finances every month and someone who never looks at their bank account.

If you realize you’re broke, you’ll do something about it.

But if you’re unaware you're in the red, you’ll keep doing the mindless activities that ruin your life.

This is why creating space and solitude are so beneficial to your success. The mind can only raise awareness and design a solution in silence.

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Your Next Action Steps

By now, you should be aware of the impact context-switching and distractions have on your progress.

Now, let’s take action.

If you want to take agency over your destiny, here’s what I suggest you do:

Set aside 5-10 minutes today to just be.

When my girlfriend first started meditating, in her words, she thought that meditation was the act of thinking nothing. So when she noticed her mind going places she didn’t like, she’d self-sabotage and make the discomfort worse.

Don’t do that.

The point of meditation (or sitting in stillness) is simply to become aware. I liken it to sitting at a gas station on a highway in the middle of the desert.

The cars that pass by from left to right, and vice versa, are your thoughts. Just watch them come and go. Don’t judge how slow or fast they drive by; just watch and be open-minded.

This is called "sitting in the seat of awareness."

Remember, it’s supposed to feel uncomfortable. Discomfort is the key to breaking through.

And don't feel the pressure to sit down, close your eyes, and levitate.

Meditation can be walks in nature, playing basketball alone, or anywhere you feel presence.

Prioritize stillness and watch your life change.

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The Mindset for Longevity

Like I said at the beginning of this letter, I still struggle with distractions just like anyone else.

You won’t finish reading this and become a perfect meditator. Like anything, it will be a process. Life will distract you; what matters is that you keep setting the intention to return to solitude.

If that means creating a system for stillness – like a walk in nature every Saturday morning – by all means, do it.

Good luck, and as always, reach out to me to let me know how it’s going.

I’m here for ya 🤝

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Cheers,

A

P.S. This is the #1 secret to self-growth.

P.P.S. I have to apologize for missing last week's newsletter – no excuses. Enjoy your holiday these next few days and have a toast for me 🥂