Constant Interruptions, Disturbances, Noise - How They Can Rob You of Your Focus (and Motivation)

Noice disrupting your focus?

They are building all around me this week – even with a jackhammer just below me. It is unbearably noisy. This noise is robbing me of my focus and, consequently, my motivation.

Currently, I am writing this while sitting in a quiet restaurant near my apartment and right by the lake . Hotel lobbies seem to stimulate creative thoughts. 

Nothing against the builders or the need to repair / renovate something in the building. That is life. We need to do maintenance on buildings just as we need constant maintenance in the form of self-care.

But the level of disruption has made me appreciate how much noise makes it difficult for me to focus and concentrate.

I had intended to do my morning brain training before I started work today but found that the drills and the jackhammer were too disrupting. So disrupting, in fact, that I left the house and retreated to this lakeside location.

No matter how much I encouraged myself to, I just could not handle it.

 I do not have any noise canceling headphones. This might be the time to buy some! All the same, the renovations will continue for 1-2 more weeks. 

In these days of hybrid working, many people in the building are affected by this noise. I am blessed with being able to book my own schedule with clients such that I can work around it.

Reflecting on how I handled this and ended up here in a quiet place, I realize that I considered my options:

1. Stay at home and keep busy, not working.
2. Attempt to focus.
3. Go out and buy noise canceling headphones; see if they help with my focus.
4. Go out and find a quiet place.
5. Moan and groan about it.
   
   

Option No 4. won!

I refused to jump into assumptions such as, "I cannot work with this level of noise," "I will not achieve anything," "I cannot handle this," and "I will not get anything done." Instead, I stayed grounded in the present and dealt with the day as it unfolded.

As I tell my clients, "Do not attempt to solve problems until they are on the table."

That does not mean that planning is not necessary but, as we know, reality can offer a completely different story. It is all about how we react (emotionally) when something happens. 

As a coach, I feel strongly about being able to practice what I preach as I handle my emotional triggers. Then I accept and choose the consequences of my options.

First, I look at the options, and then make my decision based on the consequences of each choice. What I gain from this approach is strength, self confidence, clear thinking, and action.

Having chosen to remove myself from the noise, I will now continue focusing, thinking and enjoying this quiet lakeside environment.​

by Suzie Doscher, Self-help Author since 2014, 
​Accredited Native English speaking Executive Coach focusing on Personal / Self Development since 2006.

​Photo credit:  Pexels

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