Solitude Deprivation (August Focus Digest)
Welcome to the monthly Focus Digest!
This is for creative professionals and entrepreneurs looking to create a more ideal schedule, get organized, and stay in control of the things that matter.
If you are new to the digest… here’s what to look forward to every month:
- A short article on a single concept around focus
- A couple quotes that we’ve enjoyed thinking on
- Links to interesting or related articles from our corner of the internet
- Upcoming events and resource spotlights for our Club Members
If this sparks any ideas I’d love to hear from you!
Happening next week:
🗓️ Give to Grow: Free Workshop with Mo Bunnell – Tuesday, Aug 13, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CDT
Join me as he I interview my friend and business developing expert, Mo Bunnell, to talk about how to build your business by investing in relationships and serving others.
Mo is one of the most helpful and genuine growth experts I know. He has done several workshops for us over the years, and people always walk away with ideas spinning!
What: Free, live-online workshop for how to grow in your business and career
When: Tuesday, August 13
A few minutes before it began storming. Photos I took last month on the gondola ride in Breckenridge, Colorado.
One Way to be Less Distracted
I have long been a proponent and practitioner of regular, quiet, alone time — it is something that has (mostly) been part of my normal day for more than 20 years. (Even as someone who is 100% on the extrovert scale.)
A few years back I shared about how to have an Apple Watch recovery day by using the Mind & Body workout type on the Apple Watch.
And, as I hinted at in that article, there is additional reason I like the Mind & Body workout type beyond using it as a recovery day workout.
I also like the Mind & Body workout type as a way to help me purposefully set aside 15 – 30 minutes of my day for some device-free, undistracted, quite alone time.
Now, of course, you don’t need an Apple Watch or a meditation app in order to set aside and have some quiet, undistracted, alone time. But if either of those are tools that can help you, then by all means you should take advantage of them.
Long-time readers may recall that I’ve often written about something I call “The Just Checks”.
The Just Checks is about the habit of checking our inboxes: Twitter, Instagram, Email, Facebook, etc.
And the problem behind the The Just Checks is that they rob us of our ability to focus and do deep work by training our brains to resort to inboxes when we are bored or challenged. And this habit also robs us of any quiet alone time. Why?
Because checking social media does not qualify as having quiet alone time. Sure, you may be physically alone, but you’re not actually in solitude — you’re not alone with your own thoughts — rather you’re scrolling other people’s thoughts, stories, inputs, ideas, opinions, etc.
And so, if our moments of down time are filled with inboxes and social media, then we’re never actually being alone. And over time this solitude deprivation can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression.
My challenge to you this week: Set aside 15 minutes sometime this week to have some quiet, undistracted, alone time.
Detangle your hairball schedule
When you think about your own schedule and routines…. Are things just piling up?
Do you have an ever-growing list of commitments, responsibilities, meetings, activities, and more? All the things you have to do and should do? And it just keeps growing?
And when you evaluate it all… you’re not actually sure what is working and what is not working…
If you are always adding and never cutting, then things get overwhelming very fast.
Get Your Blueprint for Breakthrough with the Personal Retreat Gameplan.
This month only, you can get our checklist guidebook for how to get a day to yourself to get calm and clear. The Personal Retreat Gameplan is on sale right now for half off. You can get instant access to the checklist guide and the workshop video right here.
👉 Get Your Personal Retreat Gameplan (half-price right now)