STOP!

How did you end up here?  Something caught your attention?

You know what, mortal? I’ve successfully stolen a few seconds from your life.

Fortunately for you, reading this will be rewarding.

Because as you’re reading this, for once, you’re probably more aware of what you’re now reading.  Think about the myriad of content that competes for your attention everyday and everywhere, which you mindlessly indulge in.  Does it raise to your awareness how much time was possibly wasted?

One of the ironies today is that while we have advanced technological tools to leverage our time to do more, many people actually achieve less.  There is lesser contentment, lesser fulfillment.  More procrastination.

We all know that procrastination has robbed success, achievement and fulfillment from many people including ourselves.  And it still continues to do so today, and will most likely stay this way until we make a concerted effort towards fixing the root causes.

I’ve come to realize the central reason why procrastination is so challenging to overcome is that it has multiple causes.  Some people procrastinate because of a lack of a clear goal; others don’t take action because of disempowering beliefs about their abilities.  Some hold back from doing what they need to do because of a painful bad experience in the past.

For most of us today, especially the younger generation, it is the overwhelming amount of content that screams for our attention every moment.  DISTRACTIONS! They’re everywhere.

Just think of some of the things that catch your attention everyday :

• Instant messenger chats
• TV commercials and programs e.g. Drama serials, Sitcoms, etc.
• Unsolicited email – some people are actually drawn by the content
• Eye-catching magazines
• Attention grabbing headers in the newspapers
• Social networking stuff – twitter, facebook, friendster, etc.
• Internet forums, where discussions occasionally ends up in a lot of off-topic banter.
• Reading online articles (not) like this one!
• And the list goes on…

I’m not saying that the aforementioned stuff are bad – the question is whether it is useful for you to spend your time on it.

If it’s not, then think about how much time had been wasted on all those activities.  If you’ve made wrong decisions in your purchases, you’d have wasted money.  But money can always be earned with your diligence and creativity.  My view is that Time is the most important resource that we have.  You can’t turn back the clock nor can you buy an elixir.  So if you’d wasted your time, it is gone FOREVER.  It’s the only real scarcity in life.

So, use your time wisely by blocking out distractions and taking charge of your attention.  If you’re distracted easily because you don’t have a goal or definite purpose, then use your time wisely to quieten yourself to discover and decide on that.

Distractions might be enjoyable and even cathartic if you have a heavy burden of worries and problems.  But always remember that problems don’t get solved by plainly seeking tension relief; our life only becomes better when we seek solutions and work harder.  When things go wrong, work harder, not less.

I’m not going to give you 10 tips to block out distractions because I believe you have to decide what works best for you.  More importantly, the motivation should be intrinsic.

But I’d share with you something.  If you’d read Stephen Covey’s books, he mentioned that the way to say “No” to unwelcomed requests vying for your time is to have a BIGGER “Yes” in your heart.  What this means for you is this – For you to say “No” to things that scream for your attention is to have a bigger “Yes” to the things that matter.

Personally, when I encounter an attention-grabbing and perhaps pleasurable time-waster, I’d say to myself “I have better uses for my time.”

So while this reading has probably taken up several minutes of your life, you know it is an investment once it begins to make more sense to you.  Your return on investment will be much higher once you begin to govern your attention.

So, run along now, you have better uses for your time.