Scale 2 The Top with Dr. Lyman Montgomery
Ready to scale your business to industry-defining success? Tune into Sale2 the Top, the unfiltered podcast that’s helping ambitious business owners and HR pros conquer their toughest challenges! Join our host, Dr. Lyman Montgomery, as he reveals the strategies others won’t share—navigating messy compliance regulations, handling team conflicts, overcoming hiring nightmares, and unlocking the secrets of scalability.
In each episode, Dr. Montgomery dives deep into the real issues you face, sharing actionable, no-BS tactics that’ll propel your business from good to unstoppable. If you’re ready to dominate your field and reach the top, this is the podcast you can’t afford to miss!
Scale 2 The Top with Dr. Lyman Montgomery
Is This Distraction Stealing Your Agency's Success?
In this episode, Dr. Lyman Montgomery discusses the pervasive issue of distractions and their impact on personal and business growth. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing different types of distractions, distinguishing them from procrastination, and identifying triggers that lead to distraction. The conversation provides actionable solutions to overcome distractions, including mindfulness practices and time management techniques, ultimately guiding listeners towards a more focused and productive lifestyle.
Are you ready to take your business to the top? Join Dr Lyman Montgomery on Sale to the Top, the podcast that dives into the real issues business owners and HR pros face every day. From compliance headaches to team challenges, dr Montgomery reveals the secrets to scaling with success. Don't just survive thrive. Listen to Sale to the Top, wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2:The path turning setbacks into skills.
Speaker 3:to last, I'm trying to lead a strategy to show you how to take what's broken and build it. Now, step by step, we'll break through the fear. What Coach Lyman's got is the top is near Scale to the top.
Speaker 2:We're reaching high, hello everyone, welcome to another edition of Scale to the Top. I am your host, dr Lyman Montgomery. I'm so glad that you are here listening to our podcast, wherever you listen and what device you are listening to. Today, we got a great topic we want to talk about. We want to talk about how to overcome distractions so that you can scale your business, and so do me a favor. I want you to go ahead and click the like button, share this podcast, because I believe it's going to change a lot of people's lives and also allow you to scale to the next level.
Speaker 2:One of the things that I'm excited about, also as this year closes out, is remember that January is always a great time that people to start is a horrible time for a lot of people to a year, from January to get to December, not so good at finishing, and so we want to make sure that, as we prepare to exit 2024 and to enter 2025, that we finish strong, and one of the great ways that you can make sure that you stay on track is to subscribe to this podcast. Let me be your coach, your motivator, your inspiration, to help you scale your business, as well as your life, for that matter, one of the things that I'm also excited about is when it comes to understanding the difficulties that all of us deal with. It's important to have someone that can walk with you, that can stand beside you no matter what, because understand business will delve and flow. That's just the nature of business that we deal with, and so, without further ado, I want to go ahead and get into today's topic, which is how to overcome distraction so that you can scale your business. We first of all got to understand that distractions are everywhere. There's nowhere you can turn where you're not noticing people being distracted. You go to a restaurant, and if you haven't done this, I encourage you to go to a restaurant and just observe and look at the number of people that are on their mobile devices. People are not even having conversations anymore, even at home. Several years ago, I was downstairs preparing lunch, and my son was upstairs and it was a small condo at the time and so he had sent me a text dad, what is for lunch? And I even responded to the text and said wait a minute, this condo is not big enough for us to be texting each other. I said, boy, bring yourself down here and have a conversation with me.
Speaker 2:So, no matter where we go, we see people are more and more distracted, even when it comes to business, when it comes to making sure that we're taking care of ourselves, and these distractions, whether it's through social media Now, I'm not one of those that will promote. You need to get rid of all your social media. I'm on social media.
Speaker 2:I think social media is a good tool, but, like with anything, with moderation, and so, no matter where we turn, we tend to find ourselves distracted. If you're driving, there's a such thing as distracted driving, because people are on their mobile devices, they're not paying attention, and these distractions, they keep us from the focus and the productivity we need in order to grow our lives, to grow our relationships, to grow our marriages and to grow as individuals, because we are all overly stimulated, which leads to being distracted. Being distracted and if you, for those of you that are watching this on social media or will watch this on social media, leave me a comment if you find yourself distracted, and when are you most distracted? You know, for some people, they're distracted first thing in the morning. The first thing they do when they wake up is grab for their mobile device and they start clicking through their social media. That little ding the notification gives us a dopamine, which is a brain chemical, a dopamine drip, and, believe it or not, there are a lot of people that are actually addicted to their social media.
Speaker 2:Let me ask this question how many of you let's be honest with me, it's just us here Be honest with me how many of you if you were to forget your mobile device, you would have to turn around, go back and get it? Let me say that again. How many of you? Let me say that again. How many of you if you were to forget your cell phone and let's say you are 10 miles down the road before you realize you didn't have your cell phone, how many of you would turn the car around and go back to retrieve your cell phone? I've done it. I know many of people that have done that and I remember one time I was literally 30, 40 minutes down the road on my way to a speaking engagement and I realized that I had forgotten my cell phone.
Speaker 2:Now I know some of you are saying but wait a minute. The cell phone or your mobile device, that's your connection to the world. What if there's an emergency call? What if something bad happens? How are they able to get in contact with you if you don't have your mobile device?
Speaker 2:I get it, I understand that, but could it also be that we're really addicted to our mobile devices and our mobile devices have become distractions, have become distractions, causing us to lose focus, to be unproductive, to oftentimes scurry about looking at every shiny object or being more concerned about what's going on in someone else's life rather than what's going on in our own lives. You know, that's the reason for a lot of reality shows. I know a lot of people that they cannot start their week, start their day, without watching some reality show, whether it is a reality show on television or on their mobile device. They're following up, they want to know, you know, what is this celebrity doing? What is this person doing? Don't you think it's about time that we focus on us for change? And that's what I want to really talk about as we talk about how to overcome distractions. Because, yes, as I said before, distractions are everywhere.
Speaker 2:And it's very important that I clarify a couple of things, because oftentimes you hear these two words interchange. You hear people say well, you know, I'm not distracted, I just tend to procrastinate. And I want to make the distinction between what is procrastination versus what is distraction. They're not the same. You see, procrastination is when we delay or put off doing something on purpose, simply because we just don't want to do it, whereas distractions are those unexpected interruptions, interferences that can take us off our game, can take us off course, it can cause us to temporarily lose our train of thought, and there are four major type of distractions that I want to talk about in the course of this podcast. And when we understand the difference, it is key to how we overcome dealing with distractions.
Speaker 2:Dealing with distractions. So, just to recap, procrastination is when we on purpose or we are intentional about delaying or putting something off, oftentimes because we don't feel encouraged. We don't feel encouraged, we don't feel motivated or we simply don't want to do it, whereas distractions are those unexpected interferences that tend to happen. That tend to happen. So let's deal with how do we recognize and manage distractions, and when we are able to manage or begin with, let's say a better way of saying it is when we are able to recognize and manage our distractions. It could make a major difference in how we scale our lives and our businesses. So let's start at looking at why distractions are so detrimental to our success success in business, success in life, success as a partner, success as a father, success as a brother, as a sister, as an uncle, as a friend.
Speaker 2:I'm sure all of us have witnessed or have seen or heard someone say so-and-so didn't have time for me because they were distracted, something else took them away, something else captured their attention. There are three main points that I want to cover during this podcast. Point number one why are distractions harmful to our success? When distractions break our concentration, we often have to restart. And how many of you have had to restart or rethink or redo something because of interruptions, distractions? This leads to increased stress and even mental fatigue. Understand that without focus, it's easy to fall short of our goals, which hinders our productivity, our growth and, in many cases, can even hinder us from achieving the things that we want in life.
Speaker 2:Earlier I mentioned that there were four types of distractions. The first type of distraction that all of us deal with are what are called people distractions social media notification, those unexpected phone calls, the casual drop-ins. You're at your desk and all of a sudden someone knocks on the door and say, hey, you have a minute. Unplanned interruptions. Now there are times where you can have what's called healthy interruptions. You know, you haven't seen a college friend in a number of years and they happen to be in town and they give you a call and say hey, I know it's been several years and I'm in town for a conference and I was wondering if you had time for us to catch up. Those are welcome healthy distractions, but if it occurs too often, do you know what to do? That employee, that coworker that keeps showing up telling you about all their problems over the weekends? How do you deal with that? Do you know how to deal with that?
Speaker 2:People distractions the second type of distraction, especially for business owners, are what I call process-y distractions. These are those inefficient workflows, unclear instructions that again disrupts our focus where we have to spend a lot of time doing reworks, bottleneck processes, unclear goals, where we're spending more time trying to figure out what went wrong than simply getting back on track. Process distraction A friend of mine said sometimes, lyman, the distraction is a lack of a process. Process distractions, people distractions. Number three product distractions or gadgets, when we spend so much time trying to find an app for this, an app for that, or now AI to do this, AI to do that and the truth of the matter is sometimes it's better just to simply pull out an old-fashioned notepad, ink pen or pencil, because the amount of time that you spent trying to find the right app, trying to find the right AI, trying to find the right course, the right tool, the right product you could have already figured it out. Multitasking on multiple devices can lead to distractions. You start working on one thing and all of a sudden notification pops up. You stop doing that and and you're working on 10 different things. In the last podcast I said a good friend of mine in college pastor actually said never confuse activities with accomplishments. Just because you're doing a whole lot doesn't mean you've accomplished anything.
Speaker 2:Number four psychological distractions. And let me say psychological distractions are probably, in my estimation, the most serious of all distractions. Those are those internal conflicts, internal stressors, overthinking self-d, where you're physically present but mentally you've checked out. All of us have had to deal with psychological distractions. All of us have had to receive some bad news right before either going on stage or going into a meeting. How do you deal with those psychological distractions? How do you deal with the SOS syndrome, shiny object syndrome, where you're like a squirrel anything flashy, you're chasing after it.
Speaker 2:There's an opportunity over here, there's an opportunity over there, and you find yourself chasing rather than producing. I've been there, matter of fact. I remember years ago losing major six-figure deals because I took too long. I was caught up in my head, overthinking rather than making a decision. I became paralyzed because I wanted to know every single thing about the deal until finally, I took so long doing research that the opportunity passed me by that. The opportunity passed me by.
Speaker 2:That leads me to another point how do we identify our triggers for distractions? It's essential that we're able to identify what triggers are pushing us towards being distracted. I mentioned a few of interest in doing a particular task. A trigger, I don't know, but it's very important, if you're going to get focused, to identify your triggers, those things that will push you or propel you towards being distracted and not doing the thing or things we should be doing. Very important that we also understand that our emotional state Could serve as a trigger Anxiety, stress, lack of confidence, as well as external stimuli, background noise, such as the TV playing in the background, the radio playing, you're working on a spreadsheet, you hear that song and all of a sudden you say, oh, that's my song, and you stop and you lose your train of thought.
Speaker 2:All of us have been there. All of us have had to deal with distractions. And now I want to transition to talk about what can we do. What are some quick, actionable solutions for overcoming distractions, so that we can stay focused and become productive and get things done? Well, here's the good news. The good news is it only takes seven minutes a day. You heard me. Seven minutes a day could be the difference between continuing to miss opportunities and being hyper-focused to where you're anticipating the next opportunity and you're in a position that, when that opportunity presents itself, you can look at the information and quickly know, intuitively, if it's a good deal or not.
Speaker 2:Step number one understand why you're distracted. One of the easiest things to do is, instead of having multiple windows open, multiple tabs open, I want you to take one week and operate with just one task at a time, just one week. Give it one week. It's going to be tough, it's going to be challenging for a lot of you, but give it one week. Force yourself to say you know what. I know I'm used to having multiple tabs open, but I'm going to experiment in seven minute increments, just seven minutes. I said Work from one tab for seven minutes. That's it. At the end of seven minutes, how do you feel? Write it down. What were you thinking about? What was going through your mind during those seven minutes of operating on just one tab? An hour later, do it again One tab. Basically, in an eight hour day, you're going to spend seven minutes per hour just operating from one tab on your computer or doing one task for seven minutes. Remind yourself why each task is important and allow that to be your motivation Number two.
Speaker 2:Number two manage these four types of distractions that I talked about. And here's a simple way of how you can manage those distractions, those four major type of distractions that I talked about previously. For people, distractions limit your social media time, set clear boundaries. Matter of fact, if you work from home, put a sign on your door that says at work and put when your break times are. You'll be amazed of how that simple hack, that simple strategy of putting a sign on your door with your break times, if your telephone, put a notification on your telephone that says I'm sorry, I'm working, I will return phone calls and put the times that you will return phone calls. It may say something like this Hello, thank you for calling, lyman Montgomery. I'm sorry I missed your call. However, I will return your call between and even give a morning time and an evening or afternoon. I will return calls between 8 am to 9 am, again from 1 pm to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 5 pm. From 4 pm to 5 pm You're letting people know. You're training them not to interrupt you when you're working.
Speaker 2:Process interruption or distraction Work to streamline your workflows, clarifying tasks, setting up front expectations. There's an old saying you only can inspect what you expect. Set clear expectations, then don't be disappointed when those expectations are not met. Number three product distractions. I know this is going to hurt a lot of you, but go ahead, you can do it. I believe in you. Turn off those notifications. Trust me, they're not essential. Go ahead. Matter of fact, let's practice right now. Go ahead. Turn off your notification for seven minutes, just seven minutes a day, no notifications. How does that feel? Embrace the quietness. Your day does not have to be centered around hearing pings all day long. Matter of fact, it's like Pavlo's dog when he heard the bell, they began to salivate. That's what happened. We get that dopamine drip. We've become addicted to that sound Psychological distractions.
Speaker 2:I'm a huge proponent in practicing mindfulness, meditation, breathing, setting up a positive routine to help you manage and relieve stress. Walking for just seven minutes. Walking for just seven minutes, I matter of fact, something that I believe in is, for every one hour of work, give yourself seven minutes of free time. Work For an hour and at the top of that hour it takes seven minutes To just breathe, to walk, to hydrate. It will make a major difference in your life. The last point that I want to make is how to minimize those triggers that I talked about.
Speaker 2:One of the best ways to deal with a multitasker is to break tasks into small, small steps. It's called chunking. This keeps you engaged and reduces boredom, especially if you have a huge project. A great example is, let's say, you're in college or high school or you have to put together a presentation. Which one makes more sense to try to do everything in one setting, or to say you know, I'm going to break this presentation into several steps. Maybe step one is taking an hour or two and just doing research on the topic, putting together your references. Maybe the second day you put together your outline, and this is already assuming you've put together your ideas, that you know what you're going to be presenting on. If not, you will start there. Take a day to just brainstorm ideas, if you haven't done so already. Once you put together your outline, the next day you start adding meat. You remember, outline is nothing more than a skeleton. You start adding meat to it and, again, before you know it, you'll have a full presentation and you're not overwhelmed. You don't feel stressed, matter of fact, you feel refreshed because you're not trying to do everything at once.
Speaker 2:Another way to deal with triggers is what I call the breaking things into interval, by taking short breaks Whenever you're working on something. I mentioned this earlier. Work on something for 41 minutes, 45 minutes, and take a break, whether that's a seven minute break that I recommend or a 15 minute break, allowing yourself to put the brakes on, get up, walk around, get some water, hydrate Emotional triggers. Journaling is what I do. It's amazing how you begin to write things down, get it from your head onto paper. This helps relieve stress, anxiety, breathing, taking deep, cleansing breaths it does wonders for you. Going outside, boy, there's a novel idea Actually going outside, walking, getting some fresh air, taking your shoes off, becoming grounded. Those are some techniques that you can use to help you not only get focus refocus, but allows you to stay focused.
Speaker 2:Overcoming distraction is a powerful way to gain focus so that you can scale your business, scale your life, and I understand, I recognize it can be challenging to do it alone, and that's where our company Focus Driven Compliance Advisors come in. If you're ready to take control of distractions that preventing you from scaling to the next level and you need someone to help you become more focused, to help you deal with distractions so that you can reach new heights, then do me a favor, do yourself a favor, reach out to us and together we can help you navigate the compliance and HR landscape so, again, you can scale to the top. Listen, I've been there. I've made a lot of mistakes and the one key factor if I had to point to any of the key factors that caused me to be successful in life and successful in business it was when I became focused, matter of fact. I believe it in so much.
Speaker 2:I wrote a book living a focus driven lifestyle. Matter of fact. You can get it on Amazon. It was my second international bestselling book, so I understand what it takes to get focused. So reach out to us, click, like and share this podcast, this video and, until next time, stay focused. My friend Outro Music.
