Growing up it was seemingly easy to differentiate between distraction and what you were meant to be doing (productive).

But in this present information and social media age, the lines have become more blurry than convex lens on myopic eyes.

So how do you differentiate between what's a distraction and what is productive?

1. For the Entertainer;
What parents and guardians call distraction is not always a distraction.
For someone whose passion is in entertainment, movies, music, games, art, etc are not distractions but the actual exposures that will help hone your skills as an entertainer.
Once upon a time parents didn't want their children wasting their time playing or doing music or sports, today the reverse is the case as most entertainers are earning far above doctors, lawyers and even IT gurus.

2. For the Professional;
While entertainers have to pay more attention to their passion in entertainment viz movies, music, sport, etc for an aspiring professional, the case is different.
To become a good doctor, lawyer, IT guru, etc you have to be less focused on entertainment and more focused on the academia.
While this does not mean you should completely blank out on entertainment because this will generally help in your social skills, however you must understand your scale of preference (in economics terms) and by so prioritize academia over entertainment as opposed to the Entertainer.

3. For the Religious
Religion plays a vital role in the lives of the average Nigerian which is why this is separely included in this writ.
For a religious person, who has dedicated themselves to God's work, it is important;
-As a Christian to separate religious activities from spiritual leading. While religious activities by human standards are important, it is spiritual leading that is more effective. Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus were more spiritual than religious.

-As a Muslim it is important to know how to differentiate the two as well. I've met very spiritual Muslims who are more like Christ than most Christians. While of course their are more Muslims who have been brainwashed by politicians and religious extremists.
It is therefore important for a Muslim to be able to differentiate between the two.

-4. For a Student (undergraduate and postgraduate)
Almost everything is a distraction and productive.
Until you find yourself and can define your goals you will be confused by the avalanche of exposure in this social media age.
It becomes imperative to know what you are most passionate about. Of course you can also be passionate about entertainment and academia. There are hybrids who stand out in their fields for being such.
It is however important for a student especially in Nigeria to keep their options open by succeeding both in academia and in their other passions.

If there's anything psychology and history has taught us, is that we cannot judge intelligence by mere looking at academic performance. There are those who failed academically but succeeded in other fields of their passions.

This crux of this thread being, it is imperative to know your passion and goals and never let anyone bring you down on their own terms and strength. Know your own strength and rule in it. Know your weakness and build where necessary.

But in all this, know what is productive to you and what is distraction.