Eliminating Distractions

SOME TIME AGO, I was visiting with a friend who has a very demanding schedule, filled with constant pressures requiring his attention. I asked how he managed his time, how he accomplished all he did each day, and how he made room for the things that were most important in his life.

Without hesitation, he responded, “Eliminate distractions.”

When you think about it, distractions are everywhere. From relentless notifications to constant news and media, these and countless other enticements can occupy far more of our time than they deserve. Without realizing it, we can be lulled away from what matters most, becoming distracted by things that may feel significant but are ultimately of littleconsequence.

One of the secrets to this man’s success is his understanding that when we eliminate distractions, we make room for the most important things to happen. As we conscientiously say no to distractions, we really are saying yes to the things—and the people—that matter most.

A busy father, following a quiet impression to simplify, decided one evening to stay home, declining an obligation he had planned to attend. For much of the evening, he was alone and wondered if he had made the right choice. But then one of his children approached him and hesitantly asked if they might talk. And talk they did—about things that mattered, things that were important. In that quiet moment, a conversation unfolded, trust deepened, and a relationship was strengthened—something that might never have happened had his time been spent elsewhere.

As we strive to decrease the daily drumroll of distractions, we do our part to ensure that God can more easily communicate with us. He will not compete with the bustle and glitter of outside influences. Instead, He patiently waits for us to make time for Him—to choose Him. As we do, we hear His voice more clearly, feel His presence more fully, and recognize His hand more readily in our lives.

As religious leader Ezra Taft Benson once said, “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.”1

When we seek to eliminate distractions, the time we reclaim becomes sacred—making room for the things that matter most.

Ezra Taft Benson, “The Great Commandment—Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988, 4.