Are you constantly getting distracted? Do you feel bombarded by options, and does that make it harder for you to make decisions?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I talk about why fewer options are better, and how to reclaim your focus.

Download the PDF Transcription

Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – Something I discovered about myself

01:40 – An important realization – the fewer the options you have, the better

02:14 – Prioritizing what’s important to you

02:47 – Our lives are more cluttered than ever before

03:06 – Imagine what it would be like if you had fewer distractions

04:55 – Think about what would be possible if you dedicated an hour per day to your highest priorities

05:25 – Work will always fill the space you’ve allotted for it

05:40 – Some questions to ask yourself

Transcription:

I recently moved into my new home.

Upon arrival, the internet was supposed to work. It didn’t.

I called the cable company, but to no avail. They couldn’t help me get my internet up and running from their support center either. They said a technician would have to come by the following week to get it connected.

But life goes on in spite of your problems. Deadlines don’t adapt to your circumstances. When you have work to do, you must find a way to get it done.

When you have work to do, you must find a way to get it done.Share on X

Where I live, WiFi connections are available everywhere, and I own a couple of laptops, so finding a place to do my work wasn’t exactly an issue.

But there are some slight inconveniences to working on one of my laptops versus my desktop computer. For one, I don’t have as much screen retail space to work with. For another, many of my most important files are stored on my desktop computer, which has more hard drive space.

But sometimes you must make do with what you’ve got, which is what I did.

As I took my laptop with me around town to do work, I had an important realization about the limitations I was forced to work with.

I discovered I was able to concentrate better on the tasks in front of me.

The problem with computers is that they are a gateway to a near infinite number of possibilities, especially if they are connected to the internet.

When working at coffee shops with limited connectivity, or working at home where I had no connection, I was better able to focus on what I was working on. While writing, I was fully in writing mode, not distracted by social media, Photoshop, email, an article that’s open in my browser window, and half a dozen other things.

This caused me to realize that the fewer options you have, the better, especially when you’re working on something that matters to you.

When you're working on something that matters to you, the fewer the options (distractions), the better.Share on X

I tend to spread my time between many things, such as graphic design, web development, email, songwriting, audio production, video editing, and writing. But one of the highest priority activities in my life is writing.

Wring is how I’ve built a popular music industry blog. It’s how I’ve earned two-thirds of my living for many years. It’s how I’ve built many valuable industry connections. It’s how I develop books, courses, and other resources that thousands of people consume and pay money for.

So, it would make sense for me to allot a larger portion of my time to writing compared to anything else. I derive some of the greatest value in my life from writing.

Spend the most time on whatever you derive the most value from.Share on X

The ability to focus on that discipline without being distracted has resulted in increased productivity, even though the lack of an internet connection at home has proven inconvenient at times.

I don’t know about you, but I can be easily distracted. It’s not a weakness to admit that. Rather, it’s something you should know about yourself,