Distractions cost us time and sometimes money. They keep us from getting work done. Distractions can even keep us from spending quality time with our loved ones as we try to catch up on our missed work. They can be incredibly frustrating and cause stress. You know you need to stay focused in order to be productive, but you can’t concentrate with all of those distractions going on around you! After a day full of distractions, you may feel worn out and exhausted. You may just want to tune out all distractions and start taking control. So how do you start?
Distractions will only happen if you let them. You are in control of your time management and productivity. You can learn how to cut most of the daily distractions out of your life. It will take some effort, but you will get the hang of it. You will thank yourself too!
Become Aware Of The Distractions
We are so used to the constant distractions these days that we don’t even notice them anymore. One of the biggest distractions we face comes from our smartphones distracting us with alerts several times each day. If you work in an office, someone stopping by your desk to ask a question or to let you know there are donuts in the break room also causes distractions. Anything that causes you to break focus on your task is a distraction. The typical working American is distracted every eleven minutes. Once you are distracted, it takes an average of twenty-five minutes to settle back down and focus again. That’s a lot of time wasted on distractions!
The first step to taking control of distractions is becoming aware of them. Start being mindful of what distracts you and keep a running list of things that distract you and disrupt your day. Be as specific as possible to come up with the best solutions to minimize those distractions later. If you become aware that your smartphone notifications are a distraction, be specific. What specific apps send you the most notifications? Do you get a lot of texts (especially those annoying group texts!)?
Evaluate The Distractions
For every distraction, you’re paying the price. Usually, that price is paid with “time,” It may be more time than you think it takes. If you are an overthinker, this can be a big problem. Once you are aware of a distraction, you have to make a decision. Is it worth keeping or not? For example, having your email open all day means you may become distracted whenever a “new mail” alert pops up. Are you tempted to read the emails immediately? Is it worth the distraction, or can you live with only checking your inbox twice a day?
Review your list of distractions and decide if it’s something you must have or if you can eliminate this distraction and live without it. You may be able to live with checking your inbox only twice daily, but you decide to keep your text message alerts on in case your spouse or children at school have an emergency.
Remove The Distraction
Now it’s time to cut out the distractions that you have decided you can live without. In some cases, it will be simple. You can try certain things like keeping your email program closed and notifications off, allowing yourself to only check your inbox twice daily at designated times. Perhaps you deleted games off your phone that keeps you from getting work done. Other distractions may not be as easy to remove. You may have the challenge of not allowing coworkers to stop by your desk during high productive hours. Or you may have a difficult time creating a new habit of not checking your phone or social media every fifteen minutes. You may need to develop more self-discipline, but you can do it! You can replace old habits with new ones that will help you be a better you!
Start by eliminating the easiest distractions, and then continue to do what you can to get rid of the rest gradually. It won’t take long before you start to feel more in control, stay focused, and get more accomplished than ever before.