Thanks to NPR.org for image. See related story below in the "confusion" link.

Untangling Confusion from Distraction

Confusion invites distraction.  Confusion - for me, the state of not being aware of and/or comfortable with what to do next -  isn't fun. I don't think it's fun for anyone. Spending time "what-iffing" is only so helpful. Often it leads to ruminating or being in a mental rut that blocks out productive inquiry or action. So when confused and beckoned by distractions, it's easy to say, "Sure, I'd love to spend a few minutes on something other that this thing that's making me unhappy/crazed/stuck (fill in your word...)." Then hours/days/months (fill in your word...) later, you look up and time has passed, confusion is still in the same place, solid and unchanged. If it's gone, you may find someone else made the decision for you, replacing the old topic with a whole new one.

In all candor, sitting with confusion is not something I gravitate toward. Confusion isn't comfortable and I want it over, gone. Being confused feels like I'm failing to figure out what to do and since we're all responsible for our lives, I'm failing at life. I've learned I feel this stuckness and reluctance to act because of things that happened to me decades ago when growing up, most likely not due to anything in front of me now. And intellectually I know that whether I like it or not, some things can't simply be thought through. They require engagement; they have to be lived and worked through. Acting with imperfect information, taking reasonable risks and possibly making a mistake, equal learning and progressing. Being distracted can cause decision making to be unnecessarily deferred, engagement postponed and attending to the results of our actions (learning) to be missed.

Untangling distraction from confusion and holding it while letting distraction go is a skill. It pays to learn it.

Further thoughts on confusion and distraction.