I do not think it is profound to say that we live in the most distracting time in human history. Everywhere you turn, something is trying to take your attention. Phones, social media, games, entertainment, new trends, political chaos, constant news updates. Our devices are designed to capture and keep our focus for as long as possible. Algorithms are tailored to keep you glued. Notifications interrupt your thoughts. Texts, calls, likes, comments, emails, all of them are strategic, targeted, and often a disruption to your focus. And this comes at a serious cost. A cost to your work. A cost to your relationships.

The cost of distraction is very hard to measure but that doesn’t mean it’s not a vitally important metric to understand. Cal Newport talks about this in his book Deep Work. He argues that when you do meaningful, mentally intense work like writing, solving problems, creating, planning, or leading, even small distractions can destroy your productivity and your ability to think deeply.

The obvious scenario is when you hear a notification, open your phone, scroll for “just a second,” and then realize an hour has disappeared. But Newport argues it goes deeper than that. Even hearing the notification, without checking it, can break your concentration and derail the train of thought that would have led to insight, clarity or new idea.

He gives practical examples: Checking email only at set times. Turning off notifications. Taking distracting apps off your phone. Removing bookmarks on your browsers. Designing your environment so distractions have no power over you.

I agree with the concept and have applied them directly to my life. However, I think the distracted life is much more detrimental to our personal lives, especially in our faith. 

This is a perfect analogy for our lives. Growth in our relationships, our careers, our health, our minds, and our faith rarely fails because we are incapable of growing. Growth often fails because we’re not removing all the factors that limit it.

If you want a deeper relationship with your child, it may not be that you are a bad parent. It might simply be that your time and attention are scattered across work emails, texts, social media, or constant mental noise. Its hard to have a deep meaningful conversation with your daughter while you’re checking an email… trust me.

It’s hard to force growth… It’s much easier to start with removing distracting elements first. You can identify distractions by doing a simple audit to try improve the quantity of the time you have and you can improve the quality.

Write down the three to five things that matter most to you. Then look at how you actually spend your time. Does your time and focus match the level of priority? If you cant create more time then you may can increase the quality of the time you have by creating the most efficient distraction-free environment possible.

If something consumes hours of your week but is nowhere on your list, it is competing with what matters most. While you are doing what you value most, keep a sticky note out and tally how often your focus is broken and what caused it. This will let you know the common distractors affecting your productivity.

I thought these ideas were over the top when it comes to optimizing time and output but how many times do we blame not having time when we aren’t optimizing the time we do have. I was thoroughly shocked on how much more I could achieve with the same 24 hours. As a dad, 1-3 hours of quality distraction free play with your kids feels like 8 hours. 1 hour of intentional distraction free conversation with your wife feels like a whole date night. 1 distraction-free hour of writing a newsletter feels like 3-4 hours with distractions. I didn’t realize the cost of distraction until it became a focus of mine.

This is where distraction becomes far more serious.

If we want to grow in our faith and pursue God, distraction is one of the greatest enemies of spiritual growth. God has always desired for us to live fully present with Him.. in His presence, purpose, and peace. But from the very beginning, distraction has been a primary weapon of the enemy.

Eve was distracted by the serpent’s voice (Genesis 3).
David was distracted the moment he saw Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11).
Peter walked on water until he became distracted by the wind and waves (Matthew 14:30). There are countless examples.

Distraction leads to deception. Deception leads to disobedience. Disobedience leads to consequences that God never wanted for us. God did not create us to receive wrath, he intended quite the opposite actually. (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

Jesus tells us directly that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He cannot do this to an all powerful God, so he attacks what God loves: us. And one of the most effective ways he accomplishes that is through distraction. There are times where he may receive more credit than deserved because we do a pretty good job of distracting ourselves but it is still just as harmful.

The enemy does not need to make you sin. He only needs to make you busy. He only needs to keep you scrolling. He only needs to rob your stillness, your focus, and your attention. He wants you to avoid deep thoughts and emotions distract yourself with meaningless entertainment. Because if he can distract you long enough, he can keep you from the very things that would transform your life.

Throughout Scripture, we see God meet His people in quiet, undistracted places.

Moses went up the mountain and met with God for forty days (Exodus 24:18).
Jesus withdrew often to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16).
Paul spent years in isolation before beginning his ministry (Galatians 1:17–18).

Silence often seems to be birthplace of clarity. Stillness has always been the environment where God speaks. “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) Undistracted time has often been the pathway to spiritual depth. But today, everything in our culture is engineered to prevent silence, promote busyness, instant communication, everything always seems urgent. But it really isnt.

Deep thought is interrupted. Prayer is shortened. Scripture is pushed aside. Our minds are flooded with content, noise, and stimulation that erode our ability to hear and focus on God. This is why spiritual discipline matter.

We approach distraction in our faith the same way we build any habit:
Start small. Be consistent. Remove obstacles. Replace distractions with intentionality.

Practical ideas:

• Remove distractions when reading Scripture: silence your phone, turn off the TV, create a quiet space.
• Sit in silence for sixty seconds before praying.
• Listen to sermons, worship, or Christian podcasts in the car instead of mindless noise.
• Protect a weekly Sabbath (one day a week) by resting, praying, reflecting, and avoiding unnecessary work.
• Take a “digital fast” for short periods each week.

You do not have to overhaul your life tomorrow.
You simply need to remove what stops you from growing just like the gardener.

Here are the books that inspired and shaped this newsletter.
• Undistracted by Bob Goff (recommend all his works)
• Atomic Habits by James Clear (best book on making real change in your life)
• Deep Work by Cal Newport (could listen to him on some podcasts to get the main idea)