Listening is something that I am not good at. In fact, it’s something I would say I have gotten worse at over the past 10 years of my life.
I was recently reflecting on why this might be and I think the answer is simple. Distractions.
You can’t listen when you’re distracted.
Last month I wrote a post on eliminating notifications from my life. Since I’ve embarked on this habit change I’ve noticed my ability to listen (and actually pay attention) has improved greatly. My conversations are becoming deeper, more interesting and most important of all, more meaningful.
Not to say that notifications are the only distraction, but they definitely account for a large chunk of them.
Reduce distractions. Increase quality of life.