Butterflies and Stamps The Difference Between Distracted and Purposeful People by:Laura Stack, MBA, CSP

I was an avid reader growing up

I was an avid reader growing up. I've read the Little House on the

Prairie series probably 30 times and an unknown number of Black Beauty and

Nancy Drew novels. I remember sitting for hours at a time, in the corner of

our living room in my daddy's favorite recliner, absorbed in the stories. My

mother would come fuming into the living room occasionally, demanding, "Didn

't you hear me call you??" I would look at her, confused, as I came back to

reality, and answer honestly, "No, mommy I didn't." And that was the

complete truth!

That level of concentration is very hard to achieve today. There are so

many things competing for our attention in the workplace, that it's often

very difficult to concentrate. Do you have "half-done" projects all over

your office and your home? Do you get distracted easily and tend to blow

like the wind in a many different directions? Do you continually talk to

yourself about all the things you need to do ("I don't knowdo I talk to

myself?")?

If so, this article is for you. There is a fine line between ineffective

distractedness and effective juggling. The former is created by Default, and

the latter is created by Design. I call the ineffective type the "Butterfly"

and the effective type the "Postage Stamp." A Butterfly randomly flits from

task to task. A Stamp sticks to one thing until it gets there.

Let's describe the Butterflies first, so it will be easy to distinguish

them from the Stamps. Here's a sample scenario: "I'm going to go to the

grocery store. Wait, I should make a list. Put my keys down. Go through

pantry. Yikes, this place is a mess. Throw out some stale chips, combine

snacks, and put Oreos in a Ziploc bag. Whew, I'm hot. Take off coat. Okay,

milk, bread, eggs, ah, darn my pencil broke. Go to study to sharpen. Ooops,

this letter needed to go out today. I should stop by the mailbox on my way

to the grocery store. Sit at computer to get address of client. Notice that

I have seven unread messages. I wonder what's in here? Here's one from my

sister with a link to a site. Click. Click. Click. Cool. Wait, the address.

Write letter. Back to kitchen. What was I doing? Shoot! Pencil. Back to

study. I should just keep pens in the kitchen. Sort pencil holder to find

some spare pens. Back to kitchen. Put pens in drawer. Clean out old coupons.

Yikes, finish list. I'd better go to the bathroom first. Bathroom. Coat. You

knowif I ran the dishwasher, the dishes will be clean when I get back.

Dishes. Notice grime in cracks of tile, gross. Spray with cleaner. Scrub.

Scrub. Okay, I'm ready to go. Hey, where are my keys? Phone ringsI wonder

who that is? Oh it's momI'd better make sure everything's okay. Yack yack.

Hang up. Darn, it's too late to go to the store now. I'll do it first thing

tomorrow"

This Butterfly flitted around from place to place and never made it to

the grocery store or mailed the letter, the two most important things at

that time. The dishes are clean, the grime is gone, and mom is happy, but

those things weren't the true priorities of the moment. However, this

Butterfly has the sensation of having worked hard from being so busy. They

don't stay focused and concentrate on what must get done. Butterflies

experience a "flurry of activity" from doing a lot but accomplishing little.

Stamps, on the other hand, are very purposeful in their activities and

can juggle many things. They get one thing started, and then purposely

switch to something else for a time. They know when and why to switch back

to the original task. Here's a sample scenario: "Okay, in the next half

hour, I've got to book this airfare, review this report, and load this

software on the computer. Let's seestart the install. Let that run. A new

email; let it go. Call the airline. Hold. Put on headphones so I can write.

Start reading report. Hello? Put sticky note where I left off. Make

reservations. Remember that I need to call to confirm my meeting for

tomorrow. Write it down and go back to task. Glance at computer and click

OK. Finish install and registration. Continue reading report. Co-worker

walks in with interruption. Listen. Low priority. Schedule phone appointment

for tomorrow at 3:20. Back to report, write comments. Check. Now, I'm going

to handle emailandwhat was it? Good thing I wrote that reminder down."

Stamps stick to the task at hand and don't get distracted by a million

different things while working. They don't let themselves get distracted by

brain traffic, emails, or interruptions. In the first scenario, a Stamp

would not have checked email, surfed the web, done the dishes, cleaned the

grime, or talked to mom.

Are you a Butterfly or a Stamp?

There are many benefits to being a Stamp:

- Output is increased. You simply get more done when you are 100% attuned

to your task. You'll get more letters written and more projects completed.

- You perform optimally and do your best work. If you are giving your

total attention to something, the quality will be better. Isaac Newton said,

"If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to

patient attention than to any other talent."

- The time invested in projects is decreased. If you don't feel like

doing something in the first place (like paying bills), wouldn't you rather

have it over in an hour instead of stretching it out over three?

- Less rework. Your focus reduces the time it would have taken you to

correct the mistakes and omissions that are a byproduct of inattention.

- Peace of mind is enhanced. There is an old legend about a man who

travels the world searching for the meaning of life. One day he climbs a

high mountain to a monastery to get the advice of a monk who is reputed to

be the wisest man on earth. When asked for the secret to happiness, the monk

replies simply, "DO whatever you're doing."

In other words, become totally immersed in whatever you are experiencing

or doing. I know some people who always seem to be "somewhere else." Do you

know anyone like that? They may be with you physically, but their minds are

a million miles away, thinking about some meeting, worrying about that

errand, or trying to figure out what someone meant when they said As a

result they often feel frazzled.

How do you become less of a Butterfly and more of a Stamp?

1. Practice. When you know you're off task, get into the habit of

self-correction: "I really shouldn't be doing this right now. Get back on

task!"

2. Write down distractions, but don't follow them. If you think of

something that needs to be done while you're working on a higher priority

task, write it down (paper or electronic) to remember it, then get back to

the task at hand.

3. Avoid your known distractions. Personally, I love to surf the net and

read the latest news. When I'm working on a high-priority project, I don't

allow myself to launch my browser. I close Outlook so incoming email doesn't

distract me. I make sure I've got a fresh cup of coffee before I begin so

that I don't have an excuse to get up and go to the kitchen (where I might

find something "important" to do).

4. Defer interruptions. Resist the urge to check email that just came in.

Ask a friend who drops by if you can come by and visit at lunch, because you

're right in the middle of something important.

5. Prioritize. Each day, ask yourself, "If I could only accomplish three

things today, what would they be?" or "What would I need to accomplish today

to feel good about the day when I leave?" Make sure to do those things

first.

Self-correct yourself with a quick reminder "flit-flit!" when you're

being a butterfly. Try to imagine yourself, instead, with a postage stamp on

your head, focusing on priority tasks.

About the author

Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is "The Productivity Pro" and

the author of Leave the Office Earlier. She presents keynotes and seminars

on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact

her at 303-471-7401 or Laura@TheProductivityPro.com.

TheProductivityPro.com

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