As a Digital Marketer, you’ve probably encountered obstacles that have prevented you from doing the things you want to do in an effort to be successful in your business. Some obstacles, however, may be ones that you have created yourself.
You may not realize that is what’s happening. Self-sabotage can be found in things like negative self-talk, imposter syndrome, or habits that cause you to doubt yourself and prevent you from achieving your goals.
Once you pinpoint the ways you’re serving as your own worst enemy, you’ll clear the path to success and have an easier time achieving your goals. There’s no shame in realizing that you’ve caused some damage in your journey – just celebrate the fact that you’re willing to be honest about it and make some corrective measures.
Ending Your Addiction to Distractions
Distractions can be addicting. That’s because the habits you use to distract yourself create stimulation in the brain. These habits usually have a reward associated that causes dopamine to be released when you engage in them.
As a result, the more you do them, the more you crave these distractions. Common distractions include cell phone use, surfing the Internet, checking social media sites and email, chatting with friends, family or coworkers during working hours, and numerous snack breaks.
These distractions are doing more than breaking your concentration. They’re stealing your productivity, which doesn’t move you closer to your goal. Most people spend over 50% of their time checking or engaging with their smart phones.
If you know that’s one of your struggles, there are ways that you can end your addiction. Start with your biggest distraction. If it’s your cell phone, one thing you can do is to turn off the notifications.
That way, when you get a new text message, you won’t be immediately aware of it. Remove gaming apps from your phone and social media apps if that’s been an issue for you. Not only will you notice you’re more productive without these, but you’ll have more time and be less stressed mentally because you’re getting a break from the constant flow of information.
Turn off social media notifications and email notifications on your laptop, too. Far too many marketers think that they need to address notifications right away. So then that “five minutes” to check a notification turns into half an hour or longer of wasted time.
Set a schedule for returning non-emergency messages on both your phone and laptop. Then stay out of your email program until the time you’ve allotted for it. Use software to block sites, social media or otherwise, that distract you.
There are many programs you can install that will block those pages for you for a set number of hours. If you need six hours of solid working time, you can set the program to not let you on until that time is done.
Set boundaries. You’ve probably heard that you need to set boundaries to keep the distraction of friends and family from taking your working hours. But you also need to set boundaries with yourself.
Without self-discipline, you will engage in self-defeating behaviors. Create your schedule and make sure that everyone knows you’re working during these times – and don’t allow yourself to interrupt your working hours, either.
Ask yourself, “Am I busy or am I productive?” If the answer is that you’re just staying busy, then you know that a distraction is claiming your time. Your actions need to be pushing you forward toward achieving your goals.