Don’t be embarrassed if you occasionally feel scattered. It’s a normal transition state. For example, after you’ve finished a major project, you may feel somewhat scattered until you’ve figured out the next big thing to focus on. But don’t let yourself remain feeling scattered for long.

A scattered state is an indecisive state. None of the items attracting your attention draw you in. You look at a piece of paper, then put it down. You read an email, then go on to make a phone call. You can waste a lot of time being scattered–there is much activity, no actual progress.

The way forward is to choose something specific to work on and stick to it. A “decision log” can help you do both.

A “decision log” is just a pad of paper on your desk devoted to recording your decisions about what you’re going to do, each time you set a new purpose. So, for example, recently the following items were entered into my decision log:

8:37 Work on book
11:05 Edit TD Update
11:21 Fix up 2nd version of TD Update
11:34 Break for Callanetics
11:39 Back to editing

The small discipline of writing down the decisions when I’m feeling scattered helps me be more focused.

When I’ve made a good decision, writing it down helps me commit to it. I give a mental “yes” as I write it down. When other ideas or distractions occur to me, I remember my decision.

When I’ve made a poor decision, I find myself reluctant to write it down! When that happens, I stop to figure out what the problem is.

For example, one time I decided to start a writing assignment at about 5:00 p.m. I thought I should try to finish it before dinner. That reasoning sounded persuasive in my head, but I hesitated to write the words down on my pad. When I asked myself what the problem was, I noticed how poorly I was feeling. I was slightly sick that day, and I ran out of steam a little earlier than usual. What I really needed was a short nap to revive my energy, so I could do a little more work after dinner.

The pad also helps when I haven’t made a decision. If there’s no current decision on the pad, I write down, “Figure out what I should do right now.” That becomes my current decision.

And of course, periodically I notice I am not doing the thing I said I was about to do. I found this entry on an old log:

10:15 Found myself organizing scrap paper. Get back on writing.

I’m always surprised when this happens–and somewhat chagrined. Writing down what happened definitely motivates me to get back to doing what I intended.

A decision log is a gentle, effective way to refocus when you’re scattered and need a little extra structure to stay on task. The payoff is large relative to the effort it takes.

Next time you feel scattered, I encourage you to start a decision log.