Distracted by Noise? Give In!

Recently, I’ve been having trouble focusing on my work. I attribute this persistent state of distraction to the constant noise around me: the appalling political news, the disasters cropping up around the world due to climate change, and the difficulty of the games I play daily in The New York Times! HA!

My latest goal has been to block out this noise to be productive and find moments of relaxation.

While walking my dog with earbuds in and listening to an audiobook this morning, a loud, flashy motorcycle almost hit me. The noise was overwhelming! I dodged the accident by jumping into my neighbor’s hedge. Afterward, I tried to get back into the light beach read that usually helps me during these walks, but I couldn’t concentrate enough to follow the simple plot. I blamed my distraction on the motorcycle episode, but I had to question why the distraction didn’t fade along with my temporary dismay over the incident.

I suspect the noise hindering my focus is more about my inner chatter than external distractions like motorcycles, news, or emerging cicadas.

The “shoulds” and “what ifs” have taken over my mind, crowding my focus and even my peace when I try to relax.

This reminds me of a recent conversation with a friend who felt she was wasting time on light reading.

I noted with dismay she was referring to the same type of books I listen to during my dog walks.

I told her I’m a great believer in wasting time! I don’t always need to be goal-oriented. I don’t want my life filled with endless to-dos or tasks. I don’t always need to engage in enriching or learning experiences.

I want part of my life to be about just being, not always doing.

So here’s my realization: maybe I should pay less attention to the noise. What if I just let the to-dos and feelings of guilt about not “doing” persist? Perhaps I can observe them rather than fight. Maybe I can let the thoughts come and go and keep listening to my light-hearted book.

After all, who will notice if I miss sending out a newsletter this month or write just one instead of ten articles for Forbes? And maybe, just maybe, the noise will fade after a while, and I’ll be able to walk my dog and sit at my desk feeling refreshed and ready to tackle challenges again.

Sometimes giving in to malaise is better than fighting it. At times, the more we fight, the louder the noises invading our thoughts. And who can do their best work when the noise is deafening?