The Cost of Constant Distraction: How Your Attention Shapes Your Future

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today's topic is going to be the cost of constant distraction, how your attention shapes your future. So, take notes. It's gonna be a really great Breakfast Club session lined up for you guys. Welcome, welcome to those of you who are tuning in with us live this morning. And if you don't know, the Breakfast Club is actually streamed every single Tuesday live, and we've been doing this now for many, many years. And, uh, shout out to everybody in our community who's hopping on with us, and let's jump into it So, uh, today's topic is interesting., I thought a lot about distraction, when this topic came up. I was kinda looking up different things to talk about here on this morning's episode, and, uh, distraction was one of the things that came up. And I know over the years it's interesting because I feel like when you first start out on your journey, whatever it is that you're looking to do, whatever's your dream, oftentimes the, the biggest obstacles tend to be those obstacles that are, let's just say, mental. It could be limiting beliefs. It can be the obstacle of just having a lot of resistance from the people in your life or, uh, things like that. But oftentimes what I find is once you, once you actually get the things that you want, and, you know, there's a saying that success, the hardest part is actually sustaining success. And once you actually get what it is that you want, you start to realize that the number one hindrance, the number one distraction from getting to even higher levels tends to be distractions, at least for me. And, uh, we live in a world of, of constant notifications. When you think about even your phone, right? How many times are you being notified on your phone for different incoming emails and messages and DMs and so many different things? So every notification is asking you to trade a piece of your future. The question is, are you making an investment or a sacrifice? So before we jump into the meat and potatoes of today's session, I wanted to share three life hacks and three fun facts for you guys. Uh, the very first life hack is to turn off non-essential notifications. If it's not urgent, it doesn't deserve to interrupt your train of thought. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I've noticed that since the development of AI, there's, like, a lot of spam. Like, the, the, the spam messages coming in, the spam calls coming in are, are starting to come in a lot more and more over the last year or so. And o- one of the things that I did recently was I just blocked all unknown numbers from even being able to reach my phone because I was just being inundated with all of these spam calls, and it kinda sucks. And y- you're locked in throughout the day, and you have all of these calls coming in that are, like, telemarketers or spam messages or spam calls, and that was one of the things that I've done. Over the years, I've also- I've been very adamant about making sure I don't have notifications that come in from social media. So if you find yourself being distract- distracted or you find yourself doom scrolling on social media, one of the best things that you can honestly do is just block all notifications coming in from social media. Now, if you use social media for work, it can be a little bit complicated of course, but all in all, if you have the ability, not only social media, but emails, uh, what I tend to do is I'll have certain times throughout the day where I'll check those things, and it's easier said than done, right? Because when you, you, let's say, work from home or you constantly have to check those messages, it can be tough. But you have to be very mindful of who gets your time and energy and attention, especially today, we're in the attention economy. Everybody's grabbing for your attention. Every single company out there is constantly grabbing for your attention, so very important to get to a place in your life where you can just manage who, who actually gets that time, that energy, and that attention. I call it your TEA. TEA being an acronym for time, energy, and attention. Second life hack is use the 25/5 rule. Basically, the way it works is work with complete focus for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break to reset. Many of you probably have heard me talk about this concept as a Pomodoro. There was a Pomodoro Technique developed in the '80s by a psychologist that was a, was a major mainstream productivity hack at that time, and it's a really great hack for those of you who are looking to be more productive throughout the course of the day. Having that, that 25-minute block of time where you just focus on one specific task and then have a break directly after, really, really great for focusing. Number three is start your morning without your phone. Spend the first 30 minutes journaling, stretching, meditating, praying, whatever's your thing, or planning before consuming other people's content. In fact, one of the things that I do as well, just to be able to manage my focus, is I'll delete social media right before going to sleep. That way, when I wake up, it's not the very first thing that I do, immediately going to doom scrolling. A lot of people-- Most people in the world these days are spending over two hours to three hours a day just scrolling through social media. It's like replaced what television used to be back in the day, and it's even worse because you have your phone with you every single place you go. Now, let's jump into three fun facts. The very first fun fact is the average person checks their phone dozens of times a day, often without consciously realizing it. Even more of a reason to delete the apps if you find that it's consuming you throughout the day. Number two- Research, research suggests it can take more than twenty minutes to fully rega- regain focus after an interruption Very important to understand as well, one of the things that I oftentimes talk about here on The Breakfast Club is the idea of getting into a flow state, and when you're in that flow state, many of you know exactly what I'm talking about. You could be locked in on a creative endeavor, maybe you're playing sports, or maybe you're just in your zone, and time seems to melt away, and you're locked in, and you're focused. And getting into that flow state is powerful because you get that momentum behind you, and you're able to produce a lot more. However, just one little distraction can knock off your flow state completely to the point where you lose all that momentum, and that's why it's important to manage your focus. And, uh, these days, one of the things that I've been doing that's been super helpful is I have this little man cave set up in my, in my home, and, uh, I- I'll intentionally shut off all the lights and just work in the dark with my headphone- phones in, noise cancellation on, and just locked into one specific task. And just not having those visual distractions, I find actually helps. Now, some of you may not be able to work in the dark, but, uh, I definitely have found it to be very helpful, especially when you have to lock in on certain projects. Third fun fact: many of history's greatest thinkers and creators intentionally carved out long periods of uninterrupted solitude to produce their best work. And it's true, whether it's going out in nature or just taking time to be away from people, be away from noise, it absolutely helps in a major way. And I know for me, starting out my mornings, I always love that, that sacred time to, to start my mornings before the world starts and before the day starts rolling in. It's, it's just really good, I, I think especially for mental health. If you wanna hone in on, uh, just really taking care of your, your mental health, your self-care, one of the best things that you can do is just spend time in solitude. Unplug from your phone, spending time with your thoughts, spending time just focusing on, on your health or what you have planned for the day. Really, really helpful. Now, uh, we live in an economy where attention is one of the most valuable resources on Earth. Think about it. Tech companies, advertisers, streaming platforms, social media apps are all com- competing for your attention every single day. The crazy part is that most people think that they're losing minutes to distraction when they're actually losing years over time. Think about it. If you're averaging, let's just say two to three hours doomscrolling through social media, you may look at it as two to three hours for the day- But when you think about the long-term consequences on, let's just say even the dreams that you're pursuing, how, how important, how vital is it to have that time to dedicate towards things that could actually get you to where you wanna be? Think about if the time that we spent distracted with things like social media or just any distractions in general, think about how different your life would be if you took that time to just focus on things that were actually productive, right? So every time you let something steal your focus, you may also be delaying your goals, your business, your relationships, and even your peace of mind. So being very intentional about, again, who and what gets that time, that energy, that attention is everything. Next, your attention is your greatest asset. People often say time is your most valuable resource, but when you think about it, attention is even more valuable because where your attention goes, your time, your energy, and ultimately your life follows. So your attention determines what you learn at any given moment, what opportunities you notice, the quality of your work, the depth of your relationships, and the person you ultimately become. So attention is absolutely everything. And the question is, again, what is getting your attention throughout the day? Think about the last 24 to 48 hours in your life. What were some of the things that, that got your attention? Sometimes I find that it's just noise. It may be the noise of things that are going out- going on in your household. It may be the noise of the world. It may be just noise at work or people gossiping, whatever it is. But that time, think about it, the most precious thing that you have in this lifetime, your time and your attention and your energy, and how many times are we just having those, those energy leaks throughout the day or those things that just grab our attention? So being very intentional about your time, your energy and attention, uh, it, it's, it's just one of those things that I, that I find, especially in recent years, that has been like, it's, it's been everything when it comes to just locking in and, and being focused. And here's a really great reflection question. Who has been directing your attention lately, you or the algorithms? Right? The algorithm- rhythms that are designed, like, they, they have it down to a science, which is crazy. And these algorithms are designed to keep you on the apps, keep you on their platforms. So this is why it's even more important to really lock in and, and be mindful of, of how you're going about your day. Now, the next thing I'm gonna cover is the dopamine trap. So think about this. Every notification, like, let's just say even short-form video and endless scrolling gives your brain a tiny hit of novelty, a tiny hit of dopamine. Your brain signals-- Like, the neurotransmitters in your brain are, are signaling that you're receiving pleasure, and over time, your mind can become conditioned to crave constant stimulation, making slower but more meaningful activities, reading, studying, building a business, writing, or simply even thinking feel so much harder because you're, you're constantly-- You're, uh, almost like being overstimulated in a sense. And then when it's time to really hone in on the deep work, the work that moves the needle in your life, the work that requires your focus, it's, it's a lot more challenging because you've conditioned your brain to constantly seek those dopamine hits. So the issue isn't necessarily technology, it's becoming reactive instead of intentional Super important. Now, instead of asking, what do I wanna create today? We end up asking, what's new on my phone? Right? What do you have going on? What, what latest news? Uh, you know, I was, I was, I was going through my social media, and I actually, I started following a few, like, just news publications that I used to follow back in the day, like the New York Post or the Daily News, things like that, or New York Times. And now, it's interesting because they found their way into social media, where when you're doom scrolling now, you're, you're coming across news articles that you used to just typically find watching the news on television, and now they've found their way to work, you know, work on your smartphone and pop up in the algorithm. And I'm like, I need to unfollow a lot of these news publications because last thing I wanna hear about is, like, what's going on in Iran or some biased view on one specific, uh, thing happening in the world. I, I don't really care to, to, to see on my news feed all throughout the day what's happening in the, in the world, the, the, the wars around the world and things like that. So again, uh, you have every right to be able to just unfollow things that don't necessarily serve you, whether it's negativity, whether it's people's toxic posts or whatever it is. And, uh, you have the right to unfollow or even just click the, the, the specific post and put that you're not interested. That way, the algorithm doesn't continue to feed it. So over the years, what's been super helpful for me as well has been I'll promote the post on my algorithm that are, let's just say, inspirational. Um, it could be educational, things that actually are, are positive and, and constructive as opposed to, like, the negative stuff. I remember I used to have a lot of videos that were, like, random fights, you know, or just crazy scenes of things that happened in the world. And I had to intentionally, like, block these things from popping up on the algorithm. So being intentional about it as opposed to just reactive and seeing what, what else can I find, right? How else can I be entertained? Number three, uh, so the, the very first one was your attention is your greatest asset. Number two was the dopamine trap. Number three is deep work versus shallow work. So remember this, busy doesn't always r- mean productive. Shallow work includes constant email checking or notification checking, mindless scrolling, jumping between task, meetings without clear outcomes, and reacting all day One of the greatest enemies, I would say that I've noticed over the years has been just not even blocking out my calendar for the things that are essential for the day. So if there's any hack that I would recommend, like to every single person tuning in, is remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. So one of the best things that you can do is the day before you even start, or the night before you start your day, just blocking out your calendar for the next day for the things that absolutely have to be done, and being intentional about what specific time you're gonna work on specific tasks as opposed to just doing it when you feel like it, rolling with the punches. Now, deep work includes, let's just say writing, strategic thinking, building systems, solving hard problems, learning new skills, creating meaningful content. It could be income-producing activity, focusing on those key performance indicators in your business. But deep work is essentially where breakthrough happens. If you spend every day reacting, you leave very little room for creating. In this new economy, you essentially have two types of people. You have creators and consumers. The question is, which side of the spectrum will you fall on? A lot of people just fall into the consumer category, and they're not actively taking time to create. And, and this is why a lot of people end up staying stuck throughout the course of life and wondering why they're not where they wanna be, because most of their time is spent consuming as opposed to creating. I remember listening to a podcast episode, I, I believe it was Kevin O'Leary, Mr. Wonderful on Shark Tank, and he was talking about what it was like to work with Steve Jobs. And he mentioned how Steve Jobs was a genius at being able to sort of categorize what was signal and what was noise, meaning that he always put a lot of focus on the signal, things that actually moved the needle with the things that he was working on. And he was really, really good at minimizing the noise, the things that were distraction, the things that took away from the signal. And I, I definitely know that this has been the case for me in the sense of, like, the signal, if you can get really good at just honing in on the signal and minimizing the noise, you'll find yourself being able to do a lot of things that, that are gonna make your life better. So when you think about it, there, there are the five essential aspects of your life that I oftentimes talk about, the five Fs: faith, fitness, family, fortune, and fun. And imagine what your life would be like if your entire day was spent really just doing things in those areas of your life that could make them better, right? So when it comes to your, your faith, like, what if you were intentional about blocking time out of your schedule to just focus on your spiritual life? Or when it comes to fitness, mental, physical, emotional fitness, what if you blocked out time to just dedicate to your fitness? How different would your life be? Or to your family, family being your relationships. It could be family, friends, or even your fortune, your finances, right? These types of things. And even down to the quality of your life, your lifestyle, the fun that you have throughout the course of the week. You guys oftentimes hear me mention how I have one day out of the week where I do absolutely nothing that's related to work, and that's typically Sundays. So this, this past Sunday was Father's Day. Shout out to all the fathers in our community. And, you know, just h- I hung out with, with family, hung out with friends. We, we had a, a, a, a great potluck and just, just vibed out, watched movies, binge-watched, and it was just a, a great time to unplug. And you wanna have at least one day out of the week where you do absolutely nothing, right? And it, it doesn't even have to just be one day out of the week. What if at the end of the day, you just take time to do something for yourself, whatever that looks like. It, it could literally be just watching e- an episode of your favorite show on Netflix or whatever, whatever's your thing. Okay. Next we have design an environment that supports focus. Now remember this, willpower is limited. Environment is powerful, right? Environment. Uh, you, you oftentimes hear me talk a lot about your environment, engineering your environment so that it's conducive to your overall wellbeing Because think about it, willpower comes and goes There's a phenomena called willpower depletion, where throughout the course of the, the day, the more decisions you have to make the less willpower you have to do the things that you need to do So willpower, again, it, it works a lot like a muscle So you have to set up your environment so that it's constantly feeding you It's like I always talk about having a cluttered home A cluttered home is a cluttered mind, a cluttered mind is a cluttered life There's nothing worse than coming home and everything seems chaotic And if you're wondering why it's just hard to, you know, get inspired, get motivated, one of the best ways you can get yourself motivated is just cleaning up your space It's like one less thing you have to think about throughout the day Now, here's some really great ideas to take away Keep your phone out of reach while working, even if you have to put it in another room When you're locking in, if your phone is a major distraction, right? Unless you need your phone to work, that's a different story But if your phone is a major distraction, just put it somewhere else, right? Or put the do not disturb on Another thing, silence unnecessary, unnecessary notifications So that could be email, it could be social media, whatever it is Another thing is close unused browser tabs So if you're not using that specific browser, make sure you close it So easy to keep browsers open all the time Another thing is block dedicated focus time on your calendar Next, we have keep a notepad nearby to capture distracting thoughts instead of acting on them immediately Notebooks and, and journals have been absolutely essential for me I actually walk around with a journal Most days I'll have my iPad and I'll have a journal just to be able to take random notes from time to time And lastly, create a workspace associated only with focus work So you can have a little workstation I always say put yourself in a winner's world, where you're locked in and you eliminate all distractions Make distraction inconvenient and f- and focus convenient Okay? Next, why high performers guard their focus. Many highly successful people don't necessarily have more talent. They often have stronger boundaries around their attention. So I always, um, talk about, you know, just people that I've, I've come up with on my journey, and I would say if there's anything that has been, like, my greatest benefit, uh, over the years, it definitely has been, uh, number one, it's been just my associations, right? The, the company that I keep, being very mindful of that, knowing when to have limited association to people in my life, right? Because people can be your biggest distraction as well. If you're always around people who wanna hang out, who wanna party, of course it's gonna take away from the things that you need to do. So that's a big one, right? And it's also just what you give your attention to. So for many years, I, I would- wouldn't even keep my television plugged in. I went, like, many, many years just watching zero TV, zero news, and I know for some people they're like, "Well, w- what if, you know, I don't know what's going on in the world?" I, I can almost assure you, almost guarantee you that if something is that catastrophic, you will hear about it from someone. Like, we live in the 21st century. The w- news spreads really quick. But you have to guard your peace of mind, right? And what you focus on expands in your life. So if you're constantly focusing on the negative of the world, you're just going to get more of that. Next, we have, um, high performers also know that every unnecessary interruption has a hidden cost, and that hidden cost is lost momentum, lower quality thinking, increased stress, and delayed progress. So protecting your focus isn't selfish. It's an investment in your mission. Whatever it is that's your purpose, your mission in life, or your calling Next, we have lastly, to, to wrap up, we have practical challenge, uh, a practical challenge for you guys. So for the next 24 hours, uh, here's a really cool challenge. Number one, turn off non-essential notifications. So for those of you who you're in a season in, in your life where you have to lock in, you have to really focus to change things in your life, well, it's not gonna change without your time, your energy, and attention. So for the next 24 to 48 hours, just practice it. Turn off all non-essential notifications. That's the first thing. Delete any apps that haven't been necessarily serving you. If there's an app that's, that's causing you to be distracted, just delete, delete it, and only download it when you need the app. Another thing is schedule one uninterrupted 60-minute focus block. This is... This can be your deep work. This can be your block of time, like I said, where I- I'll go and shut off all the lights and just focus on the things that I need to do. So that can be a, a... B- back in the day, I would call it your dream building hour. What's your dream building hour throughout the day? And that dream building hour may consist of you writing that book, you creating that content, you recording that podcast, whatever it is for you, or you reaching out to those prospects. Next we have put your phone in another room during that session, especially if you don't need the phone. So maybe you're doing work on your laptop or whatever, just focus on your lapto- laptop and eliminate whatever may distract you. And at the end, ask yourself, "How much more did I accomplish? How much calmer did I feel?" Sometimes we, we have all this overwhelming anxiety, and it's really just because we're overstimulated. There's just too much going on, and you have to silence the noise. So small changes in attention can produce massive changes in results over time So as we wrap up, understand that your life is built one decision at a time, and many of those decisions happen in moments so small you barely notice them. Now, every ping, every scroll, every impulse to check your phone is an opportunity to choose distraction or intention. So remember, where your attention goes, your energy flows. Where your attention or where your energy flows, your habits form. And where your habits form, that's where your future is built. So take ownership of your focus, and you take ownership of your life. Really, really great takeaway. And last thing that I'll share, if you got value from today's session, by the way, drop a V for value in the comments. Also, I get reached out to all the time for complimentary, uh, coaching sessions, which we offer here for our Breakfast Club community, uh, every single week. So, um, if you would like to jump on a complimentary one-on-one, uh, coaching session with me to just cover things that, you know, maybe you're going through a challenging season in, in your life and you need some guidance, you need some direction, or maybe you're just working on getting to the next level in business, uh, DM me the word coach, and I'll send you over my Calendly link. I may drop it in the description tab directly after this or in the comments, so you could also check on there. But if you don't see it, DM me the word coach, and I'll be more than happy to send you over my Calendly, and love connecting with you guys throughout the week. There's very limited, uh, blocks of time throughout the week. There's only one of me to go around, but I always enjoy connecting with you guys for those of you, uh, who can benefit from some coaching throughout the week. Now, uh, my call to action is, uh, if this resonated with you, definitely share it. Like, comment, share, tag someone who can get value, uh, from it. And my closing words are this: Don't let the world rent your attention when you could be investing it in the life you are trying to create. So the biggest takeaway for today is do everything in your power to eliminate distractions and to be intentional as opposed to reactive. Be intentional about who's getting your TIE, your time, your energy, and attention, and putting that towards things that are actually going to get you to where you wanna be in life. And I can assure you that if you can get good at eliminating distractions in your life, you'll find yourself being a lot more productive. You'll find yourself a lot happier. You'll find yourself a lot more peaceful, and that's my hope for you all. So once again, breakfast is served. Take care. God bless. I'll be seeing you all next week. And if you got value, feel free to share it. Thank you so much for all of you who do, and I'll be seeing you all next Tuesday. Take care, everyone.