🐿️ Not all distractions are bad

Had a blast of a weekend hanging out with family and friends around Lake Coeur d’Alene. We hit up two different splash parks yesterday with the kids and some friends, then squeezed in some pickleball at the end.
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And here’s a newsletter to check out…

My Home Office Hacks is a virtual water cooler/newsletter for work from home professionals and home-based business owners, published by Joe D’Eramo, a copywriter-marketing & PR consultant from Plymouth, Massachusetts.
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6.5 years ago I almost got away with stealing a guy’s car.

Sort of.

I was leaving the bank, eyes glued to my phone while walking out to the parking lot and getting in my car.

After sitting in my car for a couple minutes, still scrolling Instagram, a stranger suddenly opens my car door and asks, “Can I help you?”

Confused, I just said “Uhh.. nope, I’m good!”

Just then, I glance around my car and noticed the interior had… changed colors?

Oh.. my… GOSH. This was not my car!

I jumped out of the car and apologized profusely to the guy, who honestly handled this super sketchy situation like a total champ.

Did I seriously just get into a stranger’s black car, when mine’s red?

It’s stories like these that give “distractions” such a bad rap.

• “Distractions ruin relationships”

• “It kills productivity”

• “It keeps you from living in the moment”

Don’t get me wrong. It’s all true.

Nir Eyal even wrote a whole book to make you 100% “Indistractible”.

But could that be a huge mistake?

Check this out:

1. My wife had a tummy ache the other day, which was a problem for me cause I wanted to cuddle. She didn’t feel like it. I offered to massage her back and shoulders to see if it would help… after 10-15 mins she says “wow, that totally distracted me from my tummy ache”. So yeah, we definitely cuddled after that.

2. My 2-year-old son was bawling the other day about who knows what. I’ve become a master at the make-something-out-of-nothing game. It’s kind of like improv, where the only goal is to make him happy - no rules other than that. I gasp, point at random things, tickle him, whatever it takes. And it works. Usually I’ll get him laughing in seconds, totally forgetting whatever he was sad about.

3. In college I did a bunch of research on the psychology of music, and how it’s so powerful for reducing fatigue in runners that the advantage is compared to taking steroids (which is why using headphones is banned in most competitive races). Funny thing is, music doesn’t actually reduce fatigue - it simply distracts you from it.
   

I could go on, but you might get distracted.

Suffice it to say, not all distraction is bad.

It can even be a superpower, when used as a tool.

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If you’re struggling with too many distractions, read Indistractible by Nir Eyal.

If you’re dealing with tough stuff in life and need good distractions (other than social media so you don’t accidentally steal someone’s car), try things like:

• Spending time with other humans

• Practicing an instrument

• Going on a walk

• Playing your favorite sport

• Or watching your favorite comedy show

Notice which ones work best to relax your mind, and make time to do them more often!

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Her: “Wait, mom… so there’s like

actually actually actually actually actually actually actually

actually actually actually actually actually actually ACTUALLY

a baby in your tummy..?”

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Thanks for reading!

- Kody

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P.S. If you enjoyed this, please do give the tweet some love: