Focus, Just Focus by Konnie Enos

For the last month I’ve felt like I wasn’t getting anything accomplished or was falling behind on everything, including this post.

I have, as usual a long to-do list and it seems to be getting longer each day. Most of the time I start the day telling myself I’ll do certain tasks then I go to bed realizing I never got to most of them.

All good intentions but I either get distracted by other things which need done or end up dealing with family members.

Yesterday every time I even thought about working on my post, which I hadn’t done yet, someone came in and insisted they had to have my undivided attention for a conversation. Most of the time I had little or no interest in the topic, which is about par for the course around here.

I couldn’t concentrate.

It took me several days and a conversation with Bonnie to figure out what I had to delete from the story I’m currently editing. (It’s too long.)

And every time I just think about doing anything, like paying bills or working on my writing, someone comes in and wants to talk. 

Normally I can continue working while convincing whoever is talking to me that I’m listening by occasionally nodding or saying things like, “Umm.” But lately, even when I was mostly tuning out the chatter I couldn’t focus on what I should have been doing anyway.

That may be because my family members have caught on to the fact I don’t fully listen to them because several of my recent conversation including them telling me to look at them, not my computer.

Really hard to get anything done that way.

Then there’s my dog.

She has always wanted to be near me but lately she’s developed the need to be petted and loved on, not to mention trying to climb in my lap. How much can you get done with a twenty-five pound dog trying to cuddle between you and your computer while wanting petted?

So important things haven’t been getting done because I can’t focus.

And while I’m complaining it’s been just this last month, I know it’s been longer.

For one, I usually start preparing for Christmas by March. I’ll first shop for gifts for my youngest son, whose birthday is in May. Getting his birthday and Christmas presents gathered at least a month before his birthday. Then I’ll work on the person in my family with the next birthday. One at a time until I’ve gotten everything before Thanksgiving.

Other than getting my youngest son his birthday present, just the week before, I haven’t even started shopping until this week. The next birthday is the end of this month.

Though at this point I’ve also gotten a present for the birthday next month now too.

Times like this really have me thinking about a place of my own where I can be uninterrupted because there is no one there to bug me.

Even then I know I’d want to be able to interact with others, just on my own terms and when I’m willing to do it. I think that’s the introvert in me.

And right now I should have this post up and be doing other things, like getting breakfast and feeding dogs but even without interruptions I can’t focus on the task at hand. I keep wandering to the unpaid bills and that story I’m editing. Or get distracted by the fact I’m not actually comfortable in this position.

And now I sound like I’m rambling. Maybe I am. That’s just about how things are going right now.

Just to prevent me from spewing nonsense, I’m going to end this post now.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.