The Crucial Difference Between Distraction and Diversion
Understanding the distinction is the first step to managing your time
Because I write about distraction and how to avoid it, I often get asked the question “Aren’t distractions sometimes a good thing? Don’t we all need some distraction in our lives?”
Nope!
Distractions are always bad. Period. Diversions, on the other hand, can be good. This isn’t just hair-splitting: The two concepts are fundamentally different, and if you want to use your time productively, you need to understand the important distinction between them.
As I explain in my book Indistractable, distraction is an action that pulls you away from what you intended to do.
Distraction prevents you from living out your values and becoming the person you want to become. It’s the opposite of traction, actions that move you toward what you really want.
In contrast, diversion is a refocusing of attention. Diversions can be healthy: There are situations in life when the best thing you can do is to refocus your attention, especially when you’re turning away…
