The online space is full of distractions and lack of focus is one of big reasons your business may fail. The thrills of the social media can easily divide your attention.

I get it...businesswomen embrace social media because it has changed the way we reach and interact with clients, offer services and products, communicate with other businesswomen and — in a nutshell — do business. Its bottom-line impact can be huge. We think of social media as a way to connect with our friends, loved ones, and community. But it doesn't always feel that way, does it?

Think of this morning. As soon as the alarm went off, you scrolled through the immediate notifications, your emails, and logged onto your favorite social media apps. Then you looped mindlessly back to emails, hit refresh and started the loop all over again. Starting your days off in this way is one of the reasons your business may fail.

It is as though you are in a trance with your mobile device and all of your notifications are starting your brain's day off like it is the ball in a pinball machine. While getting ready for the day, chances are your phone is sitting by the sink and you checked it multiple times to see if you have missed anything. You are replying to client emails, responding to a comment on Facebook and thinking of something valuable to say on LinkedIn.

Your device is controlling you, not the other way around.

You rationalize by telling yourself it is something you need to do for your business or life; however, the truth is you have lost control. You are rationalizing like someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol. While this co-dependency might not seem extreme to you, it's a dependency you need to be aware of. It is zapping your time, creativity, and the relationships with people who show up for you in real life.

Today's marketers teach you how to disrupt the scroll. Create content that pops so you stop the scroll and get people to pay attention to what you are saying.

Is that what it's all about...manipulating screens for attention?

What about relationships? What about priorities and productivity? What about your ability to focus? What about creativity?

Social media is a vehicle for sharing valuable content and building relationships. It is not supposed to be something you spend every minute on. I believe our addiction to screens is getting worse rather than better.

Our courage behind a keyboard is frightening. People say things online that they would never say to someone's face. They write mean words because they are vying for the most likes. The fact that people walk down the street staring at their phones instead of making eye contact with each other is zapping every ounce of empathy we have from our being. We are missing the beauty of life and of each other.

Leave your phone in the other room when you get up in the morning. Put your phone in your purse when you are out for dinner or walking around. Pick up a notepad and a pen and plan out your marketing. Schedule blocks of time to check social media, and then show up with purpose. Go out to a live event and sit with real people. Look them in the eyes and have meaningful conversations. Allow yourself to connect with others instead of looking for a place to connect your phone because your battery is dying. Focus on the things that move your business and start taking action--otherwise your business may fail.

Have you ever had one of those days where it was critical to buckle down and get things… oh look, a squirrel. And then sometime later you try to get back to what you needed to get done, only to become distracted again. The downside of living in a constantly-connected world is that there are tons of things vying for your attention at any given moment. The distinction between important and urgent is almost impossible from moment to moment. If you are going to give anything your full attention and have the possibility of actually accomplishing something in your business, you must first manage your attention. That means turning off notifications, or at least find a way to manage them.

You will not going to get to the end of your life and wish you had spent more time on Facebook, right?