How often has this happened to you ...

You leave your office on a mission down the hall and arrive somewhere, only to forget what you wanted to do. This happens to me in my home, my office and perhaps even on a phone call or two. (Have you ever NOT remembered why you made a call to someone ... just after hearing "Hello?")

I blame technology ... text messages, email, the other email account, Facebook messages, and once in a while my phone actually rings. Technology hasn't made anything easier. Our brains are a cluttered inbox.

It's one thing to forget what I'm doing down the hall. It's a much worse thing to forget my great idea for the third point in Sunday's sermon! Or halfway through an email, report or perhaps while writing, I forget the inspiring moment and lose my way.

What happens and why do we have these moments?

I think the answer lies in the heart of a "do it now" view of time management. The urgency of the moment demands an immediate response. People depend on me to give quick answers, to respond by COB, to reply to a text instantly.

I can change directions three times on the way down a one-door hall! "I need to get this done before I forget."

I've become the star of a Three Stooges episode.

We need more boredom in our workday! Boredom leads to creativity.  

Creative leaders are problem solvers. Problems aren't solved in a microwave oven. Effective leaders embrace slow cookers.

Allow me to end this therapy session with two thoughts to consider:

• Build a fence, hedgerow or wall around your most important work of the day. Create a powerful feedback system to remind you of what matters most in the moment. It's too late to handle a distraction during the distraction! Create your own distraction elimination cocoon.
• Move away from tech access. Turn off your smart phone and enjoy your own thinking. Disconnect from anything that beeps or screams "do it now." Set the guardrails prior to beginning work!

We can all add a bullet point or twelve to this list. The important thing is to prepare for the important thing. Let us pray that as a surgeon enters an operating room, she will remember why she has entered the operatory.

Should we expect any less from ourselves and our mission of the day?

Dr. Steve Greene is the publisher and executive vice president of the media group at Charisma Media and executive producer of the Charisma Podcast Network. His book, Love Leads: The Spiritual Connection Between Your Relationships and Productivity, is now available.

Leaders, Dr. Greene wants to help you understand the spiritual connection between relationships and productivity. Read his new blog, here.

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Dr. Steve Greene is now sharing stories, teachings, and conversations with guests who lead with love on Love Leads, a new podcast. Listen now.

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