It was not so long ago that I was able to focus - fully and completely - on my work, on the person in front of me, and on my thoughts.  I used to have the ability to remember in great detail the ebb and flow of conversations.  I could do a presentation, get off on a tangent and then come back out through the exact same path that I had taken to get there.  But no more. 

Working Online Takes Its Toll
I have spent the last four years working online.  The constant interruption of e-mail, IM, and multitasking has taken its toll.  I find my brain supremely undisciplined as a result.  Following a single thought from inception to conclusion is a luxury today.  I do not like the way my computer has trained my brain to think.

It's Not Just Getting Older
Many of my friends tell me that I'm just getting older.  They insist that we just don't remember things as well as we age.  And I've experienced this.  At age 33, I couldn't keep nearly as much in my head as I could at 23 - but I could still concentrate.  It's not age, so much as habit that is splitting my mind apart and frittering my attention.

Frazzle Becomes Panic
The odd thing that I've noticed as my attention has dwindled and my focus shattered, is that my overall sense of panic has increased.  It seems that my brain interprets a constant state of shifting priorities and small crises as a sign of danger - which makes sense, if you think about it.  But the insidious part of this process is that as my brain begins to panic, my mind shifts focus evermore quickly, which causes my brain to panic even more, and the cycle continues.  I'm starting to have more compassion for those who have panic attacks.

Simplifying for Sanity's Sake
And so it is my intention to break the cycle.  Being someone who has always been a bit of an over achiever I expect this to be a difficult process.  I really enjoy having a multitude of things to do and being able to switch from project to project as my excitement waxes and wanes.  But I need to simplify - or truthfully my brain needs me to simplify.  Years of working on the computer, having 10 to 15 browser screens open at any given time, have implied that I can do more at once than is reasonable.  It's time for me to cut out the stuff that isn't critical factor and focus on the stuff that is.

Controlling My Computer
In addition to simplifying my life in general, I also intend to put some severe limitations on my computer.  No more will I allow it to beep at me wildly.  No more will it be allowed to interrupt my thoughts at random intervals.  No more will it be allowed to shatter my focus and destroy my sanity.  I refuse to be programmed by my computer! 

The Computer Sanity Pledge

I am taking a pledge: a pledge to take back my life from my computer.  And I invite you to join me.  If you too would like your mind back - the ability to focus, to pay attention to those who are speaking to you, to think a thought from start to finish without interruption, then I invite you to join me in reading these points out loud every day and committing to them.  

• I will not turn on my IM for more than an hour at a time. I will encourage others to contact me via e-mail instead.
• I will not keep screens open unless I am actively using them. 
• I will not move on to another screen until I'm done with the one that I'm working on.
• I will set my e-mail to send and receive only upon command.
• I will restrict myself to checking my e-mail only three times a day: morning, noon, and evening. 
• If I put aside an e-mail to work on it later, I must handle the e-mail before I leave for the day.  I will not allow my e-mail box to exceed 100 unread e-mails at any given time.
• I will use my delete key with abandon.
• If I haven't read the last three editions of a newsletter, I will unsubscribe.
• I will not download podcasts that I know I will never listen to.
• I will restrict myself to no more than 10 hours a day on the computer.  At that time, I will turn the computer off.
• I will find an activity other than the computer to entertain me during my downtime.
• I will not start a new project until my current project is complete or has hit a completion marker.
• Each time I complete a task, I will get up from my computer and take a walk around the office.
• I promise to review these rules daily until they are second nature.
• The day I decide I no longer need to review these rules, I will put them into a reminder for 90 days from today to make sure I stay on track.

This is my pledge.

Brain Reboot
If we can maintain this process of the next 45 days, then chances are, we'll get our brains back.  And I don't know about you, but I'd really like that.  I miss mine.  A lot.

Get my book The Consultative Real Estate Agent:  Building Relationahips that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals and Increase Your Sales.

Do you want information on how to coach your clients through the sales process?  Sign up for my FREE 10-Part Audio training program. 

Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry. Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides products, coaching and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love. For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2008, Kelle Sparta.