The Zoom Trance: How "Just One More Training Call" Slowly Kills Your Productivity

I have caught some flack for bringing this up before, but we have to talk about it anyway.

It's the endless parade of trainings and Zoom calls filling up our calendars. There are so many of them out there, and I know I am responsible for a good chunk of them myself. Whether I am the one hosting or somebody else is, here is what I need you to understand:

Not every call and every opportunity is meant for you.

• Some of them are sales webinars dressed up as education, and half the time they are selling us a product we already own.

• Some are actual training calls where you walk away with something specific you can use.

• Some are Q&A sessions that speak directly to your specialty and to exactly where your business is right now.

• And then there is a whole category of calls that hand us random knowledge, interesting on its own maybe, but not actionable and not relevant to what we actually need at this point in our journey.

That last category is the one I want us to look at the hardest, because it can become a way to resist the work we should be focused on, the work that actually grows your business and your revenue.

Sitting on a call can feel productive because it scratches the itch of feeling useful. But feeling "busy" and actually making progress are two very different things, and sometimes that call is just a comfortable place to hide from the harder, more important actions we already know we should be taking.

I think about this as two sides of a line.

On one side there is traction, where you are gaining ground and building momentum toward your goals. On the other side there is distraction, which feels active and even responsible while it is secretly pulling you away from your dreams.

The sneaky part is that distraction almost never looks like distraction. It looks like learning, or showing up for people you think are counting on you, or doing what feels like the responsible thing.

We hide behind mantras like, "Knowledge is power," "Always be learning," and my actual favorite one is "Forever be the student." Like all good mantras and cliches, there's enough truth in these to keep them going, but we still have to be discerning in our learning (Oh, it rhymes!).

Hear it again: You must be discerning in your learning.

That's exactly why we have to look at it and evaluate. So here's what I challenge you to do from now on: The next time you find yourself on an online training or a Zoom session, pause and run it through a few questions:

• Does this call serve me right now, and if so, in what specific way?

• Am I certain there is not a better use of my time in this moment?

• Am I using this call to avoid the revenue-generating activities I know I should be doing?

• Does this actually bring me joy or connection, or is it entertainment dressed up as productivity?

• If I choose to stay on this call, what is the one thing I will implement the moment it ends?

• What is my hourly rate, and is this call worth at least that much?

Then the second part of this is whatever you consciously decide this call is going to be for you, own it 100%.

If you decide it is entertainment and you are staying on because it brings you joy, that is a completely valid choice, and I want you to enjoy every minute of it without an ounce of guilt.

If you decide it's training you need and you are going to pull something actionable out of it, own that too.

The whole point is that you go into it with your eyes wide open, knowing exactly what it is, instead of pulling the curtain over your own eyes and convincing yourself it is something it's not.

That question about implementation is the one that turns a call from distraction into traction.

Knowledge that just sits there is entertainment.

Knowledge you act on is progress.

If you cannot name one thing you will do right away, pay attention to that, and ask yourself why you can't name it. You might be wasting your time on that call!

You're the CEO of your business, and your time is the most valuable resource you have got. Protecting it isn't selfish, it is the job.

So give yourself permission this week to step away from the calls that are not serving you, and to fully engage with the ones that are, whatever you have decided they are for.

And if you are still building and have not seen the results you are after yet, this matters even more for you. Guarding your time and pointing it at the right actions is exactly how the long game gets won.

Think about it:

What is one call you have been giving your time to that maybe does not deserve it, and what would you do with that time instead?

And on the flip side, what is one call you are absolutely clear about, the one whose value to your life or your business you would defend without a second thought?

And, if you'd like to join a community where we actively practice discerning your learning and productive habits that build consisteny, my FREE Skool community welcomes you.

Join HPN on Skool for FREE here