While working on the phone with an associate to choose which domain names to register I lost the connection. The technology was just fine. The problem was that the person at the other end had encountered a bright shiny object. It happens all the time. Calls come in, Tweets chirp their urgent arrival, emails dare you to ignore them. Some folks sigh and call it the curse of modern living. Some shout at the onslaught of overwhelm. Some find a cure. If you find yourself in the red zone of distraction, try these tips:

Be Present

My best friend Jeff McBride invested 3 hours in being present with me while I was in Jacksonville. Jeff is easily the world's best dad, husband, employee and martial artist and friend. His problem is he used to try to perform these roles 24/7. Each role. Now he is focused. The unintended benefit was it make me focus on giving my best during our visit. Thanks Jeff Consider sharpening your focus to the one thing you are working on, instead of everything you could work on.

Be Ready

Each day I use the template I gained from Peter Bregman.s 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done. Five minutes in the morning. One minute each hour. Five minutes at the end of the day. Consider investing Five minutes each morning. Write down your plan for the day. Chart your own course.

Be Forgiving

It's the one minute each hour that helps me get back on track. Just like a sailboat, I spend much of my time off-course. As soon as I realize I simply "Prepare to come about" and steer back toward my original heading. Consider cutting yourself some slack, when you go off course. Just remember you have a daily destination in mind.

Be Ruthless

Say no to bright shine objects, especially the ones you create to avoid your daily challenges. My son Andrew friends those he would send Happy Birthday greetings. Consider conducting a digital spring cleaning of the apps on your phone, the newsletter subscriptions in your inbox, some of those virtual friends you barely know.

Be Happy

On May 9th I'm leaving Florida to move home to San Diego. I didn't even pick the day. My long time loyal client Linda Harvey opened her calendar last week and decided the kickoff event for my Jerry's World, California or Bust Tour will start in Jacksonville on May 10. Stops in cities all along the way are planned. Each day consider choosing  two tasks. Do something you love. Do something that scares the hell out of you. I don't know what's going to happen on the tour, but I'm going to love every minute of it. Jacksonville, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Arizona are on the way. An event is planned for each stop. The timeframe is May 10 - 24th. Contact me for details. I'd love to see you on my way back home. 727-278-3982 or 858-255-0697.