The Context
Distraction doesn't happen to you, it happens in you. Nobody can distract you, only you can distract yourself. It’s time to stop blaming your lack of focus on something outside of you that’s running the show. You're assigning responsibility to an external force rather than taking ownership of your needs, wants and obligations. And understandably, it’s very hard to resist the ceaseless inflow of distractions and distresses that bid for our time, attention, and emotional involvement. Information overload isn’t going away in our lifetime. The amount of input hurling into our brains will continue to exceed its processing capacity. But all the more reason to focus on focusing.
The Tool
Slipstreaming
SLIPSTREAMING -- Achieve creative productivity through social proximity
When it comes to productivity, sometimes you have to get creative. It would be a dream if everyone had everything they needed and experienced no distractions pulling us toward anything more, but it’s simply not realistic. There must be a way to reverse this trend. Although the pharmaceutical companies who manufacture drugs for attention deficit disorder probably won’t be much help. How would you behave differently if you believed you were in charge of your schedule? Also this one. How can you tap into the power of other people’s energy? Smith, the illustrious economics and moral philosopher, coined the phrase other people's money in his magnum opus from the seventeen hundreds. Centuries later, this expression is commonly used when talking about creating leverage while investing. It refers to the multiplying effect of using borrowed funds to invest, rather than paying all cash. And as any financial or real estate professional will tell you, there upsides and downsides to the approach. Using other people’s money can make it easier to scale, reduce your risk and boost your returns. Smith, on the contrary, wrote that when being managers of other people's money rather than your own, it cannot well be expected that those people should watch over the funds with the same anxious vigilance with which the partners in a private organization frequently watch over their own. Fair enough. But for a moment, let’s get out of the capitalist mindset and into more emotional and spiritual territory. What are the renewable resources that other people have besides money? How about the idea of other people’s energy? Talk about an investment that pays dividends. If you can find a way to leverage that asset, and in a way that doesn’t make people feel like they’re being whored out for your benefit, it can be a powerful path growth. Mcniff’s compelling research in art therapy talks about something called the slipstream. If you’re not familiar with the term, a slipstream is when the propeller of a plane or boat penetrates the resistance of the air or water and creates a wake that carries other things along. It's an assisting force. Mcniff found that the idea has broader applications beyond the nautical world. Turns out, group participation can take people to places where they cannot go alone. Teams can actually generate, reinforce and revive creative energy and imagination.
The Rest
The best part about the slipstream is, there’s no interest. It’s a return with very little investment. Simply by virtue of being together in the same room can foster generative power. Each of us can find ways to leverage the power of other people’s energy and go to places we cannot go alone. Whose proximity might be able to buoy your growth?
The Benefits
Deepen connections with colleagues
Tap into inspiration that’s already around you
Overcome blocks by tapping into other people’s energy
Generate, reinforce and revive creative energy and imagination