Don’t get distracted

To succeed at what God has called you to do, you must do these: (1) Remove distractions. This is not easy, as most people now get hundreds of emails, texts, and tweets every day. But you must do it. How? By keeping the discipline of practising your priorities. Don’t accomplish easy things first or hard things first or urgent things first. Do first things first – the activities that provide you with the highest return. That way, you keep distractions minimized. (2) Protect yourself from distractions. One leader wrote, “I need blocks of time to think without interruptions. I’ve mastered the art of making myself unavailable when necessary and going off to my ‘thinking place’ so that I can work without interruptions…however, I am always aware of the tension between my need to remain accessible to others as a leader and my need to withdraw from them to think.” Jesus often withdrew from activities and prayed (see Luke 5:16). To know people’s needs, He spent time with people. To meet people’s needs, He spent time with God in prayer. As a result, He was always in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, doing the right things. And you must do that too! If you’re naturally withdrawn, then make sure to get out among people more often. If you’re always “on the go,” then remove yourself periodically so that you can be refreshed and refocused in order to accomplish what God has called you to do. “Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked” (Proverbs 4:25-27 NLT).