“What is a sure-fire way to distract you from the task at hand?”
- Tell me a Philadelphia sports team isn’t good. It doesn’t matter which sports team, I will argue to the death about them and their prowess. Yes, even the 76ers. Even if I have to go back to the “glory days” I will find some way to tell you just how wrong you are.
- Ask me what books I’m currently reading. On average I have some 3 1/2 books I’m reading at the same time. Generally these books are based on my self-imposed hierarchy of how interesting they are to me at any given time. Sometimes they flip-flop back and forth between interest level depending on how fast or slow the author goes.
- One of my favorite songs is on. I don’t listen to the radio so the odds of one of my favorite songs appearing on my iPod’s display are much better than if I trusted it to a true kind of fate. But if one of those songs does happen to start playing (Britney Spears’ “Circus” comes to mind) I have to drop everything, sing it at the top of my lungs, and dance with wild abandon (like a stork on parade).
- The amazing vibrating phone. I am totally addicted to my phone, so if I don’t want to keep checking it every second for new status updates from my “friends,” or for text messages from my friends, or for some ridiculously funny memes from my “friends” about a cat who can haz cheezburger, I have to place it out of my reach. And even then sometimes it doesn’t work. Maybe hiding it from myself…
- I feel a binge watch coming on. Netflix is the devil. Honestly. Because when I find a show I like it’s way too easy to just let the next one come on right after the first one has finished. And then to let the one after that just keep the party going. What happened to the days when we had to wait a week before seeing the next episode. Fuller House, I’m coming for you on Friday.
As I get older it has become much easier to distract me from what I’m doing, except for when I’m writing. That’s pretty much the only way to guarantee I will stick on task and focus with an iron will. Maybe that’s because writing is and has always been my top priority even when I had no others. Perhaps it’s because writing has always been there for me. Or maybe it’s just that I know if I don’t get down my thoughts right away they will disappear into the ether, never to be found again.
Regardless, if we ever meet and you want me to drop a particular topic, there’s your list right up there. Just beware my wrath if you say the Eagles suck.
Sam
Sam's Online Journal 