How to avoid distractions for students is one of the biggest lessons that came out of Kaitlin’s portrait drawing enterprise.
Kaitlin had a strong creative idea, real customers and the talent to make it work. But like many students, she also had school, friends, sport, camps, work, family and plenty of other distractions pulling her focus away.
How to Avoid Distractions for Students: Kaitlin’s Enterprise Lesson
How to avoid distractions for students is the practical lesson behind this follow-up to Kaitlin’s portrait artist enterprise. Before we revisit her progress, it is worth looking at the idea of focusing on what you truly want to bring into reality.
At the time, we had been learning a lot about goals, values, mindset and the importance of making what you want a genuine priority. Whatever language people use — goals, vision, manifestation, values or focus — there is a practical lesson underneath it.
If something matters to you, it needs time, attention and action.
That sounds pretty easy, but I will be frank: it is easier said than done.
If you are anything like us, you will have very busy, complicated lives and are overrun with distractions. Work, family, social life, worries, school, sport, friends and commitments can all pull your focus away from what you say you want.
This is exactly what happened with Kaitlin’s portrait drawing enterprise.
Of course, not all distractions are bad. Some are part of life, family, travel, friendships and growing up. The problem is when those distractions quietly take over and push important goals further and further into the background.
For Kaitlin, learning how to avoid distractions for students was not about removing every fun or social activity. It was about recognising when her enterprise idea needed protected time, focus and follow-through.
How to Avoid Distractions for Students with a Real Goal
Kaitlin’s enterprise plan that she shared in her home video was a very good one, but it required time management, focus and diligence.
Once the article about her enterprise was posted on Enterprise for Kids, Kaitlin received two customers requesting her to do portrait drawings of their families.
Kaitlin was delighted that people had actually appreciated her talents and were willing to pay for her service. This was a real opportunity for Kaitlin to follow a passion of hers and she was motivated to get started.
Sliding into Action
She had bought half a dozen quality timber and glass frames from a garage sale, which would beautifully show the portraits if her customers wanted them framed.
She also had the $100 loan from me to buy the art materials required for her to run her enterprise.
So what has happened so far?
Distractions, distractions and more distractions!
Why Distractions Can Stop a Good Student Business Idea
Kaitlin, being a popular teenager, had many demands put upon her and she certainly didn’t have her focus set on attending to portrait drawings yet.
It had not become her highest value to develop an enterprise, despite the fact that she really did want to have her own enterprise doing something that she had passion for.
The list of distractions could almost fill a blog on their own!
Kaitlin had been on the Country Week camp, had sleepovers, caught up with friends, and was currently on the Bali Supercamp.
She had work commitments, babysitting, sporting commitments, school, boyfriends, homework, modelling classes and family commitments that had all stolen her focus away.
How to Avoid Distractions for Students with Big Goals
To do portrait drawings, Kaitlin needed a lot of concentration, patience and most importantly, a distraction-free amount of time where she could get her head around it.
Kaitlin understood that she needed to establish a time management plan where she could devote her focus to what she wanted to achieve.
Admittedly, Kaitlin didn’t need to complete the drawings straight away. She had a few months. But you could see how easily those few months could whittle away to nothing without a plan of attack, followed by action to bring that plan to fruition.
This is a useful lesson in how to avoid distractions for students. It is not enough to simply want something. Students need a simple structure that helps protect time and attention.
A few practical steps could include:
- choosing one clear goal to focus on;
- setting aside a specific time each week to work on it;
- breaking the goal into smaller tasks;
- creating a quiet, distraction-free space;
- removing easy distractions during work time;
- using short blocks of focused time rather than waiting for a perfect long stretch;
- asking someone to help keep them accountable.
For families, how to avoid distractions for students becomes a practical conversation about priorities, routines and gentle accountability. The goal is not to remove every distraction, but to help children notice when distractions are stopping them from doing something they genuinely want to achieve.
ReachOut has some useful advice for parents helping teenagers manage distractions, including encouraging teens to work in short chunks of focused time and then take regular short breaks. You can read more here: How to help your teenager avoid distractions while studying.
How to Avoid Distractions for Students with a Simple Plan
That being said, we all must do the same with our dreams and desires in life.
Without making what we want a high value, writing down a plan, and then focusing our energy on it, those dreams are unlikely to come about very easily.
This is why children’s enterprise projects are so valuable. They teach more than business. They teach responsibility, time management, problem-solving and follow-through.
Kaitlin’s portrait drawing idea was still a good one. The challenge was not the idea. The challenge was protecting enough time and focus to bring the idea to life.
That is a powerful lesson for mindset, confidence and leadership.
What Kaitlin’s Distractions Teach Us
Kaitlin’s story reminds us that students can have talent, opportunity and encouragement, and still struggle to follow through if distractions take over.
For parents, the lesson is not to criticise the child for being distracted. The better lesson is to help them notice what is happening and gently guide them back to structure.
Questions like these can help:
- What do you really want to achieve?
- Why does it matter to you?
- What is distracting you most?
- When could you set aside time for this?
- What is the next small step?
- Who could help keep you on track?
This is how raising entrepreneurial kids can become part of everyday family life. It is not always about big wins. Sometimes it is about helping children learn what stops them from moving forward.
Key Takeaway: How to Avoid Distractions for Students
Key takeaway: Learning how to avoid distractions for students is an important part of helping children and teens follow through on their goals. Kaitlin had talent, customers and a strong enterprise idea, but she also needed time, focus and a plan to protect her attention.
We will keep you in the loop with Kaitlin in coming Enterprise for Kids blog articles.
For my next post or two, we will have a break from following our kids’ journeys and discuss understandings about developing a mindset for success. We’ll be looking at how we, and many other people, are conditioned to think in a certain way about money and how this conditioning may prevent us and our children from achieving success — and we are not just talking about the financial kind either.
Until then, we would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment.