Blah! Distractions!

The view outside the window . . .

    Everywhere! Distractions are everywhere!    In the house, at school, at work, by the sidewalks. No matter where I go, there's always something to keep me from doing what I should be doing, or something that's more interesting to think about than the thing I need to be planning for. Even when there's nothing in the room, zoning out or daydreaming happens in an instant, and the minutes get eaten up like crazy!
     And it's not just stuff like that or the Internet or snacking or having a sudden interest in the fish tank in the other room. Distractions tend to involve good things too, like other forms of work; "fun" projects and skill-developing things. Like, for example, designing decorations for an event instead of studying, or reading a great book on writing instead of finishing required reading for class. It's still work, but work that can be put off, and work that keeps a person from doing something that needs to be completed now.

Pets . . .

    But the worst kind of distraction's got to be the kind that one thinks is useful while they're spending time on it, but really isn't. I stopped and began to read a book recently, spent precious hours doing so, thinking "This book has great material! It'll be so useful!" but really I was just enjoying the book for myself, and when the book was finished, I found that I didn't have anything to apply to other kinds of work. And then came that guilty feeling.

And even the way the light shines onto
the wall can be a distraction!

    The guilty feeling that marks the end of the distraction cycle. After the time's been spent, and the distraction's gone, when one thinks about what they have left--which is sometimes really nothing. Guilt, shame, and even anger can come, because it's not just our time that's wasted on distractions, but God's time. He's given us a certain amount of hours, and the thought of some of those precious hours being gone forever because of a thoughtless decision . . . it's really crummy.
    Distractions . . . (cue the long sigh). They'll always be a part of life, which means fighting it is a regular thing too. I guess the only way to really resist distractions and get down to work is to be determined, and to pray (especially the prayer part).
    How do you deal with distractions? Do you put yourself in a place where they're minimal? Or do you have the grit to ignore them and just get the work done?