Staying focused during a nonstop news cycle

Since the election, I’ve caught myself distracted by the news instead of focusing on key tasks. And I discovered something that has helped.

I’ve written often about avoiding digital rabbit holes in a discipline that, by definition, requires us to stay current on the news. Some of the PR productivity hacks I’ve shared I’m pretty good at, and others, I (still) suck at.

What I haven’t written about is uncovering the subtle emotional triggers that drive us to digital distractions. Beyond artificial time-blocking rules and tech tools to hide tempting links. Instead, what's the REAL reason I put off the focus work I need to do and check the news “just for a minute”?

I mean, I’ve been giving speeches about PR productivity for 10 years, and over the last few months I’ve found myself really struggling to stay focused. So what’s really going on?

Obvious disclaimer – this is just MY experience. Your brain works differently than mine. Follow the path I did to come to your own conclusion about why you behave the way you do.

In recent days I found myself thinking about President Trump's Cabinet nominees and almost got sucked into “researching the issues” instead of doing my focus work. I explored those thoughts to try to see where they were really coming from. I realized I had the exact same emotions/feelings/thoughts back in the summer after the Trump-Biden debate when all the chatter raged about a new Democratic nominee. Back then, my brain wanted to “understand the situation” better, so I spent way too much time reading all the speculation.

Yes, part of our job is staying on top of current events for our clients. But unless we’re in a policy role, do we really need to spend 60 minutes digging into the commentary on the latest Cabinet nominee?

My conclusion: This season of dramatic political change has me feeling a vague and subtle loss of control, and at a subconscious level, my brain thinks that understanding things better will help me feel more settled or in control. When I step back to examine this notion rationally, it’s easy to see it is ridiculous. Because in reality I have zero control of anything at the federal government level, no matter how much “research” I do. Recognizing this root cause helps me better apply my focus hacks, like pre-scheduling my news checks at strategic points throughout the day, and setting a timer when I do.

But more importantly, it's helping my brain recognize my biggest priority is succeeding at what I can actually control right now, which is providing valuable resources for my Inner Circle members and newsletter subscribers.

If you’ve likewise struggled to focus recently, I hope the pattern of examining the deeper source of “news-checking” urges can yield similar insights and progress for you.