This week: Distractions Edited by: Jeff  
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"Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief."
— C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of the regular editors of the official Spiritual Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site in that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me directly or submit feedback in the comment box at the bottom of this newsletter. |
Distractions
How often do you find yourself distracted?
When you have something that you want to be doing (or know you should be doing!), do you find that other demands on your attention often win out? How often do you sit down to write, but then get sidetracked by a notification on your computer, or the sudden desire to "research" something online that takes you on a ten-minute click-hole detour through various Wikipedia pages? Are there times where you set aside time for prayer or meditation, and you realize that your mind has wandered to your daily to-do list, or some other random thought that has gotten you off-track with your spiritual practice?
I personally struggle with distraction a lot. Not in the short-attention-span, "ooh shiny" kind of way, but more in the sense that there are so many things I want to do, I have a tendency to fill up my time with all of the things. Driving to work? Listen to an audiobook or roll some phone calls while I'm in the car! Going for a walk? Perfect time to catch up on my podcasts! Watching a movie or a television show at night after the kids are in bed? Let's also catch up on some emails or admin stuff around Writing.com. Toiling away on a work project? Let's get caught up on the videos from that YouTube channel I've been falling behind on.
On the one hand, it's a great habit if your goal is to check a bunch of things off to the to-do list. But studies have shown that multitasking is a myth. What we think of "multitasking" is actually "task switching," or how quickly you can cycle attention between multiple inputs. If you're responding to work emails while you're also trying to watch a soccer game on TV, you're not doing the equivalent of picture-in-picture simultaneous viewing... you're focusing on the soccer game, then pivoting your attention to the emails, then back to the soccer game, then back to your emails. If you're really good at task switching, you can do this quickly and repeatedly over and over again and give the appearance of doing both tasks at the same time, but it's only the illusion of concurrence.
And what's more, those same studies on multitasking have shown that your attention degrades the more you divide it and the faster you task switch. If you have one of those mobility desks with a walking pad underneath it so you can walk while you're at your computer writing... you are not engaging in your optimal walking ability OR your optimal writing ability. Both take a slight hit to productivity, accuracy, efficiency, etc. because you're splitting your focus between two tasks.
When it comes to spiritual practices, this is can be a real challenge. Many spiritual disciplines are built on quiet, peace, thoughtfulness, intentionality, patience, etc. And all of those things are degraded severely when you mix them with distractions. It's hard enough to just sit there alone with your thoughts without letting your mind wander as it is; it's infinitely more difficult when you have other inputs fighting for your time and attention.
If you're looking to improve your spiritual practices, I highly recommend minimizing distractions as much as possible. If you're going on a prayer walk, leave the music player at home. If you're reading the Bible, don't have catchy, obtrusive music on in the background. If you're meditating, find a quiet place to do so that isn't overrun with sounds and other sensory input from the rest of the world.
There are definitely times when distractions are a welcome thing, but they can be really detrimental to the maintenance of your spiritual disciplines, attention, focus, etc. Make sure that you're mindful of distraction-free (or at least distraction-reduced) environments to make the most of those times where you really need to focus on what you're doing.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things" | "Blogocentric Formulations"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
You are also invited to check out these items from members of the community:
| |  | Moon Bath (E)
in a Ninesquare poem for the Writer's Cramp
#2344610 by Dave  |
| | | Chiming Bells (E)
A man finds himself in a new world where the only familiar thing are chiming church bells.
#2344337 by Ittai Bryan  |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Feedback from "Spiritual Newsletter (July 9, 2025)" about being a year in with a church plant:
Jeff, thank you for sharing about your church. I will be praying for its expansion and will ask my Bible study group to do the same. Linda
— lbidler 
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Spiritual: August 06, 2025 Issue [#13282]
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