9 simple steps to becoming an assassin

There you are, sitting at your computer, cranking out a great report or blog post. Then suddenly it hits you, the dreaded distraction. Now you can’t seem to concentrate. That YouTube video of fighting ninja cats becomes more important than finishing your work.

You fight to stay on course, but the struggle is just too much.

Unfocused and scattered thoughts are perhaps the most annoying type of distraction. They pop into your mind without warning. Leaving low production in their wake. Sometimes these thoughts can constantly invade your mind.

That’s when you have to become an assassin, a distraction assassin that is. You don’t have to be Jason Bourne or Le Femme Nikka to accomplish this. No guns or fancy hand-to-hand combat required. All you need is your imagination.

Kick off your shoes and relax for a bit

For thousands of years, Eastern forms of meditation have allowed many to gain control over scattered thinking. Of course, it is impossible to stop a thought from entering your mind. However, you can control whether or not you entertain a particular thought.

The first step in gaining control over your mind is to be calm.

It really doesn’t matter how you choose to relax ,just so long as it gets you into a calm mindset. For example, you can try yoga, deep breathing or journaling.

A good relaxation technique involves tensing and relaxing every muscle group in the body. Start with the muscles in the neck. Tense those for three to five seconds and then release. Continue this process with each muscle group down to the toes.

Unlock the gate

When you’re calm, pick a quiet place to either lie down or sit. Now close your eyes, this is where your imagination comes into play.

1. Imagine all your thoughts, both the distracting and focused ones, as small, clear bubbles.

2. The good thoughts can be golden and the distracting thoughts a dull gray.

3. Before you stands a massive steel gate.

4. Beyond the gate lies what we will refer to as a calm landscape. This calm landscape can be any scenery that makes you happy and calm. For example, your scenery can be a tropical island or a lush, sun-kissed green field.

5. Now imagine you are collecting all of the good (golden) thoughts. These are the ones you wish to focus on. Place them in a sturdy sack. Don’t worry, they’ll all fit and the sack wouldn’t become too heavy.

6. In your pocket is the key you will need to unlock the gate.

7. When you’ve opened the gate, walk through it and close the gate behind you. There’s a comfy couch just waiting for you, so have a seat or lay down.

8. Now release those golden thoughts and organize them. Start with the things you need to accomplish in the very near future.

9. While you’re kicking back and relaxing with your golden glow, don’t give a thought to the distracting gray bubbles on the outside of the gate. That steel gate is a secure fortress. The unwanted thoughts can’t penetrate, go around, over or under that gate.

It may be hard to rein in scattered thoughts at first. However, the more you use this technique, the more efficient you will become at eliminating distracting thoughts.

Master control over your thoughts and you will become even more badass than Jason or Nikita. Now all you need is a code name.