5 Ways You Can Navigate Distractions During Freshman Year (or any year TBH)
You know the feeling. You have plenty to do. BUT, you also plenty of other “opportunities” to invest your night in. Finishing that game of Madden. Closing out the final season on Netflix. Maybe it’s a sorority function or your pledge trainer is “asking” you to do something. Freshman year, and really if we are honest any year in college, is filled with so many chances for us to get distracted. Here are 5 things you can do to learn to be more focused and less distracted. We think that if you will implement these things, you’ll find out you actually have more time to invest in others and to do those other fun things.
1. Know Your Why
Why are you in College? Have you taken the time to really distill this down into a specific reason? Are you here because you are supposed to be? Because you didn’t know what is next?
But really, why are you here? What do you want to see God do in your life? How does college help that?
Knowing this answer is key for you to then be able to prioritize things the right way. If your career field needs a graduate degree, then GPA is going to be crucial. Maybe our career field is more about the networking than the actual GPA. Maybe you need technical skills like computer programing or nursing more than theoretical skills. Knowing your why gives clarity to all of the other decisions to follow.
In addition, knowing your why helps you prioritize the right things, like your relationship with God, relationships with others and the Great Commission. When you are clear on this, the rest can fall into place.
2. Develop a Way to Keep Up with your To Do List
There are many approaches that work. Some prefer a digital solution where they email every task into one inbox and then use that as a to do list. Some prefer a paper option. I personally like to do a hybrid of the two, digital to track projects and tasks, and paper for daily focuses. It doesn’t matter what you use…it just matters that you have a space to write things down in the same spot EVERY TIME.
Then consult this spot when it’s time to work. Doing this will relieve anxiety related to not know what all you were supposed to do.
3. Triage Your Distractions
Find out what is distracting you, and eliminate it during your “work zones”. For me, I can’t listen to music or have the TV on when I work. I can’t be on my phone when I try to have a quiet time. I can’t have my phone when I’m trying to spend time with my wife and kids. I can’t be thinking about work when I am investing in people.
Remember this…technology is a tool not the source of life. We need to eliminate it from parts of our day to focus on what is important in those times.
Another tip: Get rid of all notifications on your phone. This helps you focus.
4. Say NO More Often
Sometimes we think the problem is we are distracted, but really we are overcommitted. You don’t need to be in 8 clubs and on 3 exec teams to get a great job. You only have time to do so much. Saying YES means you are saying NO to other things. People who have to have other people to like them struggle with this and say Yes to too much. Follow a calendar, say yes to things that align with your why and you have space for. Say no to things that don’t.
5. Rely On God’s Strength Not Your Own
If you are following a calendar, aware of your time commitments, able to make time to focus and know your why… your problem might not be solved. You may still have trouble with distractions and focus because you are looking to yourself and your own ability to manage your life.
The basic message of the gospel is that God is at work in us changing us to be like Christ. In the same way we need God to change our heart to move away from other sins, we need God to develop in us the ability to be good stewards.
The last step is to rely on God for the strength to help you focus and steward well. A simple way to do this is by praying for this before you start work. Doing this allows us to focus on connecting to God by stewarding well and not striving to earn God’s love.
Our hope is that students and follower of Christ can learn to manage their distractions, focus on what God has called them too. This will result in good stewardship of the great commission as well as other talents God has given each of us. In turn we can see more people know Jesus and be sent out to live life mission.
