Distractions

As I age, the tug of meetings, social media, and distraction has grown exponentially.

I can feel my focus deteriorating. Gone are the days of holing up in the library and churning out hours of focused work.

And yet: I need deep work. It is impossible to, say, draft a brief (and all attendant documents) without blocks to intensely focus.

It isn't just about finding that time anymore. It is about creating it. Yesterday, I did just that.

✍ I made space on my calendar (no meetings, a miracle).

✍ I took care of small, quick tasks first thing in the morning--clearing the decks.

✍ I closed Outlook.

✍ I began the Pomodoro Method--using a timer, I worked undistracted for 25 minutes, took a 5 minute break, and repeated for four cycles.

✍ On the breaks, I peaked at email, or took a bio break, or let myself check socials. But: I stuck to the time constraints.

✍ After four cycles, I took a longer break (a walk to get lunch).

✍ Then I repeated the 25/5 cycles again.

Sometimes I hit pause as the 5-minute break started, riding the momentum of drafting until I came to a more natural stopping point.

At least once, my break was less than 5 minutes. Another time, it was longer.

Towards the end of the day, my brain got tired, so 25 minutes became 15 minutes, or I took care of some administrative or quicker tasks.

These days feel like a privilege lately, and yet they are necessity to get the real work done.

I don't get them often, but when I do, I hope to truly take advantage.

Keeping my distractions in check can be full time job. I have to be super mindful of it, as I am prone to doom scroll, disassociate, and reach for the dopamine hit incessantly.

There's so much to do and so much to be distracted by. The modern world tugs at us in a million directions. It is hard work to keep that in check, but it is not impossible.

Timers help me tremendously. What tools do you use?

#mindfullyemily #emilylitigates #biglaw #professionalwomen #lawyerwellbeing