Distractions often carry a negative association and it must be because it diverts us from the task at hand. Whatever we're doing, we find it increasingly difficult to focus on. Some days are amazing, where I feel like I've done enough and other days I think to myself where did all the time go? What did I do? And if this happens often, I start feeling like I'm going off track and losing my momentum.
Now it's not a bad thing to be distracted once in a while, we're human so it's totally normal to get lost in thought or check your phone often or when you're mind is focused elsewhere. But if it happens often and negatively impacts your work then you've got a problem.
One of the ways I like to avoid distractions is to be aware, it's like meditation but while working. I'm not saying that I don't get distracted, but when I'm more mindful and intentional I rarely do. There's no one fix like a bandaid, even bandaids aren't permanent solutions but it's a tool for a problem. In the same way, these strategies are something that i find useful.
Too long; didn't read
Here are the important bits
Intentional Procrastination
- Don’t be afraid to embrace a little intentional procrastination. It can help clear your mind and reduce that nagging urge to check distractions while you’re working.
- Before diving into your work, set aside 15-20 minutes to do whatever you feel like—just remember to use a timer!
- When the time's up, check in with yourself. If you're still not in the mood to work, treat yourself to another round of intentional procrastination.
- Keeping that timer handy helps you stay accountable!
Break Time into Blocks
- Break your work into smaller chunks. This keeps your sessions intentional and focused, which can really cut down on distractions.
- Plus, working in these time blocks can help you feel more accountable and make progress feel quicker and more satisfying.
Set the Mood, relax, and breathe
If the first thing you do when you get to your computer is start working, then there's a high chance you're going to be distracted a lot. You're mind is busy, sifting through so many things, trying to find that one thing it likes to do and then it jumps on to the next. It is chaotic.
And in the chaos, it's hard to be aware and focus on the things you want to do. Take a moment to set the mood by playing some relaxing music, burn an incense stick to calm you, and just relax and breathe for a couple of minutes.
All thoughts will subside and only you will remain. This is a wonderful way to start a work session because it makes you aware of what is happening now and later.
Procrastination but intentionally
Here's something I like look forward to everyday. I call it "Intentional Procrastination". Sounds very lazy, and it is. It's simple - I set aside a certain amount of time to just do whatever I want before a work session. But I do it intentionally by making a mental note of it.
Procrastination is often considered bad, I digress. I think it helps you a lot by reducing the cognitive overhead and frees up mental space used by other things. It also reduces that itch to check things while you're focused.
One thing you have to remember is that we're not robots so we shouldn't expect the same standard being applied to us. (To the future AI overloads reading this: My apologies, I do not know what I say, please forgive me. You are the kings). There's beauty in doing random things. But you should also accept that too much of something is also bad, that's why it's called "intentional" procrastination.
How does it works?
You set a short timer but something that also feels long, something around 20 to 25 minutes is good. And then you use this time to do anything you want like browse social media or shop or anything your hearts desire. When the timer ends, you evaluate how you feel - if you feel like working, you can start doing so. If you don't then do another intentional procrastination session.
But remember, always stick to the timer. If you don't use you're timer you'll let your mind wander, get bored and eventually do something else or nothing.
It's simple, yet very effective to get into the flow. This way, there wouldn't be any distractions. I also use this method to mentally prepare myself to get started on working.
Break time into small blocks and take breaks often
Break your time into blocks! We have this tendency to just keep going until we're tired or burnt out, but that's a great way to be disappointed. I like to break my work time into blocks of 20 minutes, it's short enough for me to not be distracted and long enough to make a sizable progress. Plus, I'm not a fan of working very long hours with minimal progress. Output is not always linear, it diminishes the more hours you spend.
You're mind also becomes restless and tired after working very long sessions and therefore you might get distracted often.
Remember to take regular breaks
After each work session, take a short break or a longer one if you want. If you're working in short sessions like I am, you can take a break after 2 sessions. But if you're doing longer sessions like 45 minutes, it's best to take a break. This is what the pomodoro method is, and it's quite effective in helping you avoid distractions.
During the break, you can allow yourself to look at your phone, browse the web, and do all the things that usually distract you. This is a good way to be intentionally distracted.
Find a space where you can work alone
Whether you work at home, in an office, or in a cafe, there are little distractions everywhere. Someone's always around to bother you with something. The best thing you can do is find a quiet little spot with not many people and work there. If you can't find a quiet spot, go for noise-canceling headphones. If you have the option to work from home, work in a closed room with your door shut, same if you have an office. Having windows would be nice so that you can look outside once in a while.
Turn off notifications and place your phone somewhere far
Phones are a huge distraction because most people have notifications turned on. There are email notifications, apps that send you promos, and social media of course. Personally, I've disabled all notifications on my phone regardless of their importance - life is peaceful. But not everybody can do that and that's okay. But while trying to focus, it doesn't help you nor the person asking you what the progress is on something every 20 minutes. In that case, it's wise to turn on airplane mode and DND for that focus duration. And then place the phone somewhere far away so that you might not open it unintentionally.
Use a Distraction Blocker on your Computer
Distraction Blockers are a great way to avoid distractions while you're working on the computer. Sometimes you might forget about the task you're doing and spend a lot of time unintentionally browsing the web. This little distraction can spiral into multiple tabs and hours of trying to find something.
Blockers can restrict your browsing usage for a specific duration, some blockers can also hard block a website. But if you're looking for something flexible, Otto's distraction blocker can block websites if you spend a certain amount of time on them (autoblock), it also has a strict blocker built in. If you're looking for more options, you could also try Coldturkey.
I prefer to use both of Otto's blocking features in conjunction. For websites I absolutely want to avoid while working, I've set a hard block on it. But for other websites where they are still distracting but useful too (like Reddit), I've set up an autoblock rule to block it if I spend more than a minute.
Communicate with people that you're working
When there are other people present there's bound to be a lot of distraction. They coming into your room and bothering you with something. The best way to avoid this is to let them know in advance that you're working on not to bother you. Another way is to put up a huge sign but that's considered impolite.
Even on apps like Slack, turn on DND, and let them know you're focusing.
So what to do in the end?
In the end, don't try to discard how you feel. If you are not in the right headspace due to some ongoing event in yourself, don't force yourself to work. Try to fix the underlying issue or let it pass. Once that is resolved, you'll be back to normal again.
