Break the pattern.
On Monday, two friends and I had a business idea. A cryptocurrency newsletter. We’d make software, use it to analyze data and share cryptocurrency trends in words non-technical people can understand.
We’re so convinced of it that within 8 hours, we had a team chat, a landing page for interested folks, a name, tag line and temporary logo, a workflow, outsourced some code work and a folder chock full of ideas.
The only problem? My economics exam on Friday.
Adverse selection among insurance contracts isn’t as exciting as working on a new business. Neither will it make any money. Or even matter much for my final grade.
But sometimes, what’s reasonable isn’t what’s necessary. The worst distractions are those that make the most sense.
Here’s how I deal with those instances: I break the pattern.
I usually sit in the same spot in the study room at school every day. Yesterday, I broke that pattern. I set up shop in my kitchen, put my phone on airplane mode and killed my wifi.
To add fuel to the fire, I dug up the songs I listened to during one of my most productive studying periods: pulling all-nighters at the library with my friends in 2012.
3.5 hours later I was halfway through the most important material.
I’m a huge fan of distractions. The right distractions. The kind that have the power to change your life. But sometimes, even those have to wait.
When you’re stuck in a circle of procrastination, ask:
How can I break this pattern?
When did I last solve the same problem? How did I focus on what needed to be done? What environment was I in?
Sometimes, the only way to stay in the present is to travel into the past. As long as it keeps you focused on what needs to be done, that’s not a distraction.
