We live in a world right now that makes it easier than ever before to access anything, which presents the double-edged sword of making it easier than ever before to be distracted by anything. Even within focused tunnels, the opportunity to get off-track is remarkably simple.
Take, for instance, exercise.
You find a great workout program and get going. Then a simple search leads you down a path where an alternate program seems better. That takes you to a new philosophy of exercise, another program, another idea, another philosophy and next thing you know, little progress had been made.
Then things get really interesting because we also live in a world where a dedicated and focused attention towards something will gain the interest of people. When this happens, many requests are made and that also becomes highly distracting because those opportunities seem great, and they probably are, but it takes away from what had you focused in the first place.
This overwhelming fear of missing out that is ingrained within our psyche is a hard beast to overcome.
However, being able to have seasons of “no” can overcome this hurdle and bring us closer to what matters. It’s the ability to ignore everything else and the disappointment of others to actually stay focused on what you care about.
A prime example is the author Brandon Sanderson, who is purposefully setup in a way that allows him to do what he does best: write. His team has specific instructions to let him be and while some of those tasks could easily be handled by him, they take away from what people actually want from him—more books.
As an aside, this should be the purpose of the gains in technology. Not to do more, but to offload more. I mean, it’s still a reality for some that they have to take their clothes to the river and wash them by hand. I’ll keep my washing machine, thanks.
Back on point, saying no for a season (however long that may be) is meant to be a fruitful endeavour. Even saying no to certain groups of people, in favour of focusing on others, can tighten those relationships that may have gone astray. Speaking from experience, when you try to please too many people, you lose touch with everybody.
So, embrace a season of ‘no’ and unshackle the distractions of the world. I promise, your well-being won’t suffer for it.
HT: Alex Hormozi