Becoming an unhackable working mom is a super-power that you can develop! 

What is an unhackable working mom?  An unhackable mom is someone who is able to focus on what is in front of her because she hasn’t allowed unauthorized access to her mind!  You see, we live in a world of constant digital distraction, from social networks, news media, email notifications, and all of the urgent ads that are paraded in front of us daily.  All of these things (I call them squirrels) are constantly vying for our attention.  They grab us and distract us from doing the things that are most important to us.

Just think about the number of times you get a notification and the next thing you know, fifteen minutes is gone from your day!  It happens that quickly.  The problem with all these distractions is that they keep you from dreaming and doing all the things you want to do.  They leave you questioning your impact and questioning your value in the world.  Personally, on days when I’m chasing lots of squirrels, I feel confused, foggy and unproductive. The good news is that when you become unhackable and learn to avoid digital distractions you are taking the first step toward super productivity and better relationships.

Now, I am not saying that technology is bad, because having a computer at our fingertips has saved us plenty of time from going to the library for research. (Ask Siri). What I am saying is that our brains were never wired to be chronically distracted and when we learn to manage it more effectively, we feel our best and do our best work, leaving energy left over for our families.

Most days when we are hacked (allowing unauthorized access to our brains) we feel like we are not enough, like we didn’t do enough, or we don’t have enough.  You see where this leads us if we are not careful, to a lifetime of unfulfillment, discontent and scarcity. The truth is, in most cases it’s because our brains were allowed to become overloaded. We come home drained and feeling unproductive.

What would it be like for you to come home with energy left over to connect with your family?

Here are three simple first steps to becoming unhackable? 

1. Become your own Technology Police.  When I’m working on an important project, I put my phone on airplane mode and shut down my email.  This allows me undistracted time on my project.  When you try it, you will be amazed how much more you accomplish and the quality of the work you accomplish in a shorter amount of time without the distractions.
2. Realize that you have a choice.  You get to choose who rents space in your brain.  You get to choose how much power you give the outside influences.  When you continue to allow distractions to drain all the energy from your brain you are behaving in a reactive way.  The truth is you get to choose who you give your power to.  Will you give your power to being the best you can be and accomplishing your dreams and goals?  Or will you give your power to chronic notifications? (which produce nothing of lasting value)
3. Start small to reach big. Like any new habit, going cold turkey, doesn’t go well for a long term solution.  Start by practicing this kind of work first thing in the morning.  Work for 45 minutes without checking your phone or emails, then take a break.  Get up,  stretch, and decide if you want to jump back into your project, or move on to another project.  I guarantee you will be in love with the results! This is like brain training!  We are retraining our brains to work in a focused way.  Training our brains is hard work (just like going to the gym and training our bodies), but the results are worth the effort.