6 Fields of Distraction

The 6 Fields of Distraction is a way to identify the things that keep us from paying attention to the task at hand, or get in the way of accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves. In a meeting, any participant struggling with one of the 6 fields of distraction will have a hard time fully committing their attention to the work of the group.

Each of these has an impact, and if one of them is that play, then we’re not likely to be at our best:

1. Physical pain
   Examples: backache, headache, etc.
2. Emotional pain
   Examples: Heartache, grief, etc. Do not expect people to be themselves when they're dealing with physical or emotional pain
3. Technology
   Beginning with the television, every time we've taken a leap forward in technology we've taken a cut in being present.
4. Multi-tasking
   Research shows only 2% of the people in the world are really good at multitasking. Actually it's a misnomer, it’s simply shifting your attention from one thing to the next as quickly as you can.
5. Distracting yourself
   Examples: Regrets, resentments, checking the Internet
6. Not being caught up on life
   Examples: Dirty dishes, laundry, unfinished house projects, not caught up on bills. Most people have 70-90 small incomplete items in their life at any given time.

From Paul Axtell and Cal Newport: see related blog post below.