The Distraction Disguise: Switching Off to Switch On
I’d promised myself a proper break. A chance to slow down. Rest. Recharge. But three days into my family holiday, I realised something. I hadn’t really switched off.
Despite not having my social apps on my phone (apart from WhatsApp), I was still constantly reaching for my phone. For music, for “notes”, for checking something “important”. The excuse I told myself? “It’s fine, I’ve got more time now.”
But deep down I knew the truth. I was distracted. Worse still, I was justifying distraction as reward. I’d bought into the illusion that being connected meant being relaxed. That time spent scrolling was somehow productive and worthwhile. It wasn’t.
🎧 Watch my Build the Invisible Documentary here:
Traction or Distraction?
In Build the Invisible, I talk about traction, the moments when your actions move you forward. But distraction wears a clever disguise. It poses as reward, as rest, even as productivity. And our brains are expert negotiators, convincing us we deserve it. By day three, I’d had enough. I made a conscious decision: phone in the hotel drawer, notebook in hand, book by the lounger. That’s when the real reward kicked in.
Ideas started to flow and I started to feel more reenergised. I started watching other people too, nearly everyone was on their phone. Distracted from conversations. Distracted from themselves.
It was a small wake-up call: we don’t just lose time when we’re distracted; we lose access to the things we perhaps want to be doing instead. The path to traction.
The Actual Reward
Sometimes, switching off is the most powerful way to switch on. I talked a bit about how it’s vital for me to have a rest ethic so that my work ethic is robust enough. That half hour reading a book, sketching an idea, or sitting in silence (it’s still scary) was worth much more to me than hours of half-baked holiday ‘busyness’.
If you’re building your invisible foundations, I’ve realised how traction matters. Flow and traction starts when distraction stops.
Try This…
✅ Leave the phone behind. Even just for 30 minutes.
✅ Carry a notebook instead. Capture your thoughts before they’re interrupted.
✅ Notice how quickly your focus shifts, and what it shifts towards. That’s where the magic is.
Build the Invisible, Quietly
Switching off isn’t a retreat. It’s a form of self-control. It continues to work wonders for me.
To Finish…
Here’s a Build The Invisible themed talk I gave on How To Get a Job in the Sports Industry
I have given career advice to thousands of aspiring sports and entertainment industry executives.
I’ve been asked what makes you stand out? How do you impress when you don’t have anything particularly special to say? And why does no one respond to your emails?
I have distilled everything I know into Build the Invisible, an accessible guide that outlines my philosophy and shows how investing in yourself – building your invisible foundations – leads to a successful and fulfilling career.
I interviewed over 40 high-achieving business people about how they landed their current positions. And blending their experiences with my own insights, I created a roadmap that will get you to where you want to be.