Sticking to Your Planned Schedule: How to Avoid Distractions (Even the Fun Ones)
First up, I have a new section here called “What I Use” to share all my recommendations about office furniture, bags and devices—feedback most welcome!
Onto today’s post…
I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been here: I sit down to work on some admin—clearing my inbox, updating my CRM, filing expenses—because I know if I don’t, it’ll all pile up and turn into an unmanageable mess. But then, just as I open my spreadsheet, I remember the big proposal I’ve been working on. It’s important, but not urgent. There’s plenty of time to do it. And yet…it’s interesting. It feels creative, strategic, meaningful. Admin, on the other hand, is dull, repetitive, and mostly thankless. So, guess what I end up doing?
Yep. The proposal.
And I tell myself it’s productive, so it’s fine. But it’s not fine. Because now I’ve broken my schedule, and the admin work is still waiting for me.
Why Do We Get Distracted by “Interesting” Work?
It’s easy to understand why we get distracted by social media, random web browsing, or unnecessary coffee breaks. But why do we also get sidetracked by productive work? After all, writing a proposal, brainstorming a strategy, or coding a new feature isn’t slacking off. So why is it a problem?
The answer is simple: because it’s still off-plan.
If you switch to something more exciting but less urgent, you’re making an emotional decision, not a rational one. Your schedule was built with good reason—to balance priorities, get things done, keep the business going, and avoid last-minute scrambles. But in the moment, your brain doesn’t care about that. It just wants the dopamine hit of working on something engaging.
The Big Problem: The Work You Ignore Will Catch Up with You
The obvious danger here is that, eventually, the work you put off will demand your attention, often at the worst possible time. If I ignore my admin tasks all week, come Friday, I’ll be drowning in overdue emails, messy records, and a rising sense of panic. Or worse, if I keep delaying that dull-but-essential process documentation, one day, I’ll need it immediately—and it won’t exist.
It’s like always choosing dessert over vegetables. Sure, cake is great, but eventually, your body will notice the lack of nutrients.
So, how do we resist the temptation to jump into fun-but-off-plan work and actually stick to what we intended to do?
Remind Yourself That “Future You” Exists
One trick I’ve found helpful is asking: How will “Future Me” feel about this decision?
Future Me doesn’t want to be wrestling with overdue admin at 5:30pm when I should be winding down for the day. He doesn’t want to be scrambling to reconcile invoices because I “accidentally” spent my admin time on brainstorming a new product feature instead.
If I let Future Me down too many times, he’s going to hate me. And I don’t want that guy holding a grudge.
Use a “Distraction Parking Lot”
When a juicy, off-plan task pops into your head, you don’t have to either ignore it or drop everything to work on it. Instead, put it in your “Distraction Parking Lot” (basically, a section in your notes app or task list). This tells your brain, “yes, this is interesting! Yes, we’ll get to it! Just not right now”.
Nine times out of ten, this is enough to quieten the impulse to switch tasks. And when you do review your list later, you can tackle those ideas at the right time.
Schedule “Temptation Time”
If you know you’ll want to work on something fun, guess what…build it into your schedule! Instead of jumping into an exciting-but-off-plan task right now, remind yourself, Sure, I’ll do that this afternoon after I finish my admin.
It’s like telling a child they can have ice cream after eating their vegetables. Somehow, knowing a reward is coming makes the boring work easier to get through.
Use a Timer to Commit
A typical struggle is actually starting the dull work. However, once you get going, it usually ends up being just fine. To trick yourself into starting, set a 20-minute timer and commit to just that short burst of effort. More often than not, by the time the alarm goes off, you’ll find you’ve built up enough momentum to just keep you going.
If not? At least you’ve done something, which is better than nothing.
Create “No-Switch” Zones
Some types of work are especially prone to distraction. For me, it’s admin and documentation. So I designate specific “No-Switch” periods—say, 10–10:30am—where I only work on that task, no matter how tempting other things are. I even make a rule: if I don’t feel like doing the task I planned, I can take a break, but I can’t switch to a different work task. Often, just mentally removing the option to do something else makes me knuckle down and get on with it.
Reframe the Boring Tasks
Sometimes, the problem isn’t the distraction—it’s the mindset. If you keep telling yourself that admin is tedious and pointless, you’ll always resist it. Instead, try to see it as important maintenance for your business or role.
Filing expenses isn’t boring—it’s protecting your finances. Clearing your inbox isn’t a waste of time—it’s clearing mental space. Updating the CRM isn’t dull—it’s making future deals easier.
It doesn’t always work, but when it does, it helps.
Accept That You Won’t Be Perfect
Finally, let’s be real: no one sticks to their schedule 100% of the time. Some days, distractions win. That’s fine—what matters is that I notice when it happens, adjust, and try again the next day. The goal isn’t to be rigid and robotic. It’s to be intentional about how you spend your time, so you’re not constantly putting out fires caused by your own avoidable procrastination.
Final Thought: Discipline Gives You More Freedom
It sounds counterintuitive, but the more you stick to your schedule, the more freedom you actually have. When you follow your plan, you get through your work faster, avoid last-minute stress, and don’t have to sacrifice your evenings to catch up.
That means you can spend time on exciting projects—at the right time. You can take a break without guilt. And you can go home without that nagging feeling that you should have done more.
So, next time you feel tempted to dive into a fun-but-off-plan task, just remind yourself:
The real freedom comes from sticking to the plan.
And then, (begrudgingly, perhaps) do your admin. :)