If you want success you need to tune out the noise
matthew henderson:
What’s up everybody? If you want success, you need to learn to block out all the noise. This is Matt from The Business Mind Podcast.
…matthew henderson:
So if you want to get success in today’s world in the distracting world we live in, you need to focus well, yes, you need to focus, but you need to learn to just block out all the noise. I know that sounds kind of like a little bit of a blanket statement, but it’s not. I can tell you that the noise that goes on around us is so overwhelming, it makes it not impossible. It makes it extremely difficult though, for anyone to get their job done in any way. Whether it be that you are at a corporate place doing a corporate job, or you’re just at home trying to get some lawn work done or something, the amount of noise we have around us is beyond overwhelming.
As an entrepreneur, it was something that was very difficult for me because the noise can be a lot of things. It can be the daily minute to minute distractions that we all have. For most of us, it’s that we’re always attached, literally to the hip with our phone. It’s an extremely distracting device, which was, when I was growing up it was something that became more and more distracting as I grew up around it. For those of you who are the younger generations, millennials and younger, I don’t know how you guys are doing it because when I grew up, I didn’t have to deal with as much distraction and it wasn’t as difficult as it is today to focus. Now, I find myself really struggling to focus and struggling to find that place that I can actually turn off. It’s funny, the other night, my wife and I were talking and we discussed, she had mentioned the idea of, what did she call it? Something she had heard about basically a digital blackout.
Essentially, I guess some people are taking time and they’re calling it whatever, a digital, I don’t know, digital desert or something like that. Essentially, what they’re doing is they’re just cutting out all their digital stuff, they’re not listening to anything, they’re leaving their phone, they’re turning their phones off, leaving them at home or whatever they do. I don’t really know, I haven’t gotten involved in this newest fad, but I did do something kind of like this when I was on vacation, I just didn’t call it some cool trendy name. The idea is the same, learning to turn off and just be in the moment that you’re working on, whatever it is that you’re focused on right now, it’s about being in that moment and focusing on that task, that minute, and it doesn’t mean that you have to be physically working, doing something and growing the business. It could just be turning off the noise and stopping the noise around you so that you can be in a moment.
I find it one of the hardest things to do, it sounds like it should be the easiest, right? You sit down to watch a movie, just be in the moment. It’s very difficult for all of us. I’m well aware of the fact that it’s because of all the noise. I mean, there was a time, I’m going to start sounding really old in this podcast, but there was a time where if you were helping somebody out in a store, if their cell phone rang, you would hear it, but you wouldn’t actually have to deal with it. People were kind enough back in the earlier days of having cell phones to actually just silence their phone and continue their order, right?
So, if you’re at Starbucks or you’re just getting a cup of coffee, the amount of times that I’ve seen someone on their phone waiting in line, which is fine, whatever, I personally don’t do that, but I know so many people do and they walk up and they don’t even take the time to put down the phone to place their order. What they’ll do is tell the person who’s taking their order to hold on, wait one minute, I’m in the middle of something. The rest of us are standing behind them in line. Now I actually don’t go to Starbucks, but I’m just using that as an example, cause I’ve been in Wawa or Dunkin’ Donuts and seen the same thing. For those of you who don’t know what Wawa is, I am from New Jersey and they are around New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Anyway, but it’s the noise, it’s the distractions. Those will be the same people that at the end of the day are going to say, oh my gosh, I couldn’t get enough done today. The next excuse, there isn’t enough time in the day. The next excuse, oh, the kids were taking up all my time, they’re really just running me ragged. Not putting down what kids do, I think the kids are fantastic and they’re amazing, and yes, they definitely monopolize a majority of a parent’s time, they’re your children, that’s what you do as a parent. Today it seems that people don’t want to turn off the noise. They think they can do it all. Back in the early 2000s, actually probably 2000-2005, the big thing was multitasking. Oh, I need to… I’m a great multitasker, I’m an amazing multitasker. You know what we all found out from that? Nobody’s a great multitasker. The concept of “multitasking” is nonsense, that is the fastest way to not get anything completely accomplished. The things that you do get accomplished will most likely have mistakes and errors to them, so multitasking, nonsense.
So, if you think that you can talk on a phone and scroll through your Instagram and post something to Facebook, check in somewhere, all at the same time of actually doing what you’re supposed to be doing, whether it be like I said, whatever, ordering a cup of coffee or doing your job at work, it doesn’t matter if you think you’re going to be able to pull all of those things off with all of that noise in the background, I don’t see that happening. If you are the one in 10 million who do pull those things off at the same level, that some as somebody like myself, that is going to focus on one task and rock through that one task I’ll guarantee you’re not going to get it done as quickly, you’re not going to get it done as efficiently, and you’re so certainly not going to get it done as well.
You got to turn off the noise, put down the phone. I’m an Apple guy. It’s actually very easy to go on your phone and I’m sure Samsung and Google Pixels and whatever phone you’re using out there, I’m sure they all have the same option of going in and actually putting on do not disturb on your devices. I know I do it on my laptop for the whole morning, I have it on, do not disturb and I don’t want to hear from anyone, I don’t want to see an email come through, I don’t need notification about anything, I don’t need it. That’s me stopping the noise. When I get in the car, I also have my phone set to recognize I’m in the car and just push off any phone calls and text messages.
There’s a setting in there so I can get word if there’s something important that somebody needs to get in touch with me, but I’ll tell you 99 times out of 100, it’s nonsense. What are you doing? Where are you at? Are you on your way home? Can you pick this up? Just turn the noise off, get focused on you.
Get focused on your business. Get focused on growing yourself and turn the noise off. Get the jobs done in a third of the time, be focused and do them right. Too often, everybody’s sitting around and there’s a phone, an iPad, a computer, people stopping in your office to talk to you, your office line rings. You just need to turn it off. I mean, my wife and I, when we go to work, we don’t call each other all day long. I know some of you out there are like that where you call each other, hey, what’s going on? Nothing. What are you doing? Nothing. Come on, focus. Get focused on your day. Shut off the noise.
I’m not saying don’t talk to your significant others. I’m not saying block them out, but I’m just saying when it’s time for work focus on work. When you’re on break, call your significant other if you want to call them. Take a minute, stop and eat lunch, take care of a personal thing that you need to get done. Pay a bill, update something on your credit card, I don’t know whatever you got to do, but turn off the noise the rest of the time. Start blocking things out. Be the person who just gets a task done and focuses. If you want to be successful, learn the turn off the noise. That’s what today’s lesson all about.
That’s the way that you’re going to get, the fastest way you’re going to get to success is by staying focused, staying on track and turning off the noise.
All right. If you guys are getting any kind of, if you’re enjoying the podcast and you’re getting some good pieces of information out of this, I ask, please tell anybody you know, let them know about this podcast, ask them if they want to listen, maybe send them a link to The Business Mind Podcast and let them know that this guy Matt’s got some good bits of information. I’m sorry if the other times you feel like I ramble on, but I get caught up in the moment. Sometimes I need to get these things off my chest. I need to let people know what’s going on. I hope I’m giving you some bits and pieces that are going to help you and your life and your business and accomplishing all of your goals and get out there today and stay focused. Turn off the noise, silence your phone, turn off that do not disturb the computer. Maybe go hide the TV remotes or something. I don’t know, whatever you have to do, turn off the noise, get focused and get things done.
Okay. This is Matt from The Business Mind Podcast. If you guys would like me to do an episode about anything or you have any questions, you need assistance with any kind of project, definitely reach out to me. I have a new email, it’s [email protected]. Also, you can still get [email protected]. I’m kind of using that for more of my funnel work and customers and clients that need to contact me regarding those. So, if you have to contact me about any kind of funnel that you would like to get worked on, or you need some help with, just let me know and I’ll be glad to help you out. Like I said, if you can get on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you’re listening and just leave me a review, let me know how much you’re loving the podcast, I’d like to hear from you. All right, everyone have an awesome day. Today, it is freezing in New Jersey, it was 60 on Monday, 65 maybe.
Today we’re at 32, so stay warm where you’re at. Talk to you guys again soon.