The world is full of distractions, and you are a victim too! Our distractions were only limited to television back in the day. But today, we spend all day sitting with boxes full of distractions. Yep, I am talking about the phone or computer you are reading this article on.
So, how do we keep ourselves strong enough to fight these distractions every day and every moment?
Here Are 8 Sassy Ways to Fight Your Battle Against Distractions
- Stop multitasking once and for all!
Let me bust this myth for you. Trying to switch between two or three unrelated tasks and completing them at the same time doesn’t make you look cool. In fact, it makes you a fool in the long run.
When you are scrolling through social media and try to write the notes of the course you just took, you are not saving time. Rather you are degrading the quality of your notes.
Plus, multitasking ends up consuming more time than you can imagine.
Don’t believe me? Try tracking your time through an app like Toggl or RescueTime. See how much time you can save when you focus on one thing at a time.
- Create a distraction proof environment.
Ever heard the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’? Why not use this concept to stay away from distractions? You see, when you don’t have the right tools of distraction in sight, you will not get distracted.
For instance, hide your headphones or earphones if you are doing a task that involves writing. This habit will prevent you from getting into the continuous cycle of watching shows on Netflix or videos on Youtube.
Close the door to your office or bedroom (wherever you work). Tell your colleagues or family members to not disturb you in the specific hours you plan to be productive.
Use app locker apps or Stayfocusd chrome extension to block yourself out of time-wasting apps and websites.
- Put your phone on ‘do not disturb’ mode.
You might wonder why I didn’t include this in point 2. But this is one of the most crucial points on this list and hence deserves a special mention.
Checking your phone every time there’s a message or social media notification is the worst thing you can do to your productivity. It takes us back to point 1 of multitasking. That’s something you have to avoid at all costs in order to be able to focus better on the task you are doing and produce high-quality results.
So, whether it is an unscheduled call from a friend, the credit card company, or even your client, stop bothering to pick it up. Let them know that you don’t take unscheduled calls.
In the case of messages and emails, know that you don’t need to reply instantly. Every person – no matter who they are – can wait about 2-3 hours before getting your attention.
Start valuing your attention more and put your notifications switched off. An even better option is to put your phone on airplane mode when you are in a mood for deep work.
- Say no more often.
People new in the business world often keep themselves open for opportunities, always. They tend to grab every chance of growing that may come their way.
It can be a new collaboration, a new business venture idea, an investment option, or an interview.
You must always keep in mind that when you say yes to something, you are saying no to the 1000 other things you could be doing in that time. So, check if the opportunity you are about to grab is much more worthy than those 1000 other things.
People may also ask you for help at times. Since it is a good deed doesn’t mean you will give up your priority tasks for it. Say yes to help, only if you have spare time and energy and won’t lose much of yourself.
- Keep reminding yourself of your vision and agenda.
We often get distracted and start focusing on short-term pleasures when we forget the vision that we are working towards.
It is necessary to keep reminding yourself of it.
You can get a coach to help you with that. Another simple way is to keep posting your process or progress on social media, and your followers will keep you accountable.
You can keep sticky notes, desktop wallpapers, and posters on your wall with motivational quotes to make sure you are always motivated.
Additionally, you can create a vision board too.
- Cut off the people who do not bring any value to your life.
A big chunk of our distractions come from the negative people in our life. That friend who loves movies may keep sending you the trailers of new films. That relative who does nothing but watch the news all day may want to discuss politics with you. The old school friend who spends most of his time playing Call of Duty may keep pestering you to join a game with him.
If these people do not understand the value of your work and you do not want to engage with them in such activities, it is better to cut them off your life. Do that, and you will see an insane amount of mental energy and even free time for your productive work.
- Get a dopamine detox.
Due to the short term pleasures that we get these days thanks to technology, our attention spans have decreased to a harmful extent. When we work on a social media post, we start getting likes and comments within minutes. We indulge more in short films and 30 minutes episodes of web series instead of 3 hour long movies.
Recall how our ancestors used to love reading. How many people do you see reading physical books these days? Either they are listening to an audiobook while driving or working out. Or they are choosing apps like Blinkist to give them short summaries of the books they want to read.
The point is that we get distracted within minutes of starting a necessary not-so-fun task. Why? Because our brains are now used to feeling great quickly. Why would it tolerate a boring job when a hit of dopamine – the happiness hormone – is just a click away?
If you, too, find it difficult to focus on your tasks for longer, it is time you get a dopamine detox. Start with taking a day break from social media.
Next, try to incorporate a day in your week when you don’t engage in any high dopamine activities. These include watching Netflix, gossiping, listening to music, playing games, scrolling on Instagram, etc.
Doing this will help your body adjust and find some pleasure in the not-so-fun yet essential tasks.
- Get rid of apps and subscriptions that steal your time and energy.
One great way of not indulging in high dopamine activities is by getting rid of the apps that encourage the activity.
Uninstall the gaming apps from your phone. Block all news sites. And stop watching Youtube. If it’s necessary to use, get a chrome extension like DFTube to ensure you don’t get stuck on the platform.
Unsubscribe from your account on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other OTT services. Doing this will not only save you time and energy but also some money.
Lastly, check your email subscriptions. Unsubscribe from shopping brand emails and promotion letters. You don’t want to waste your time checking discounts for stuff that you don’t even need in the first place.
All in all, be intentional of where your time goes and remember how you want your life to be. Doing this will help you avoid getting into the rut that distractions bring with them.
Now, don’t get distracted. Take action right away!
Let us know which of these are you going to try right away.
Also, share your own methods of staying productive in the comments below!
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