Focus Like A Laser: Beat Distractions And Get More Done
We live in a busy and ever-connected world and sometimes it can be extremely overwhelming, so how can we retain focus and stay productive? Here we discuss a few simple tips so you can get things done
We’re all surrounded by distractions, whether we want them or not.
From a colleague stopping at your desk for a “quick chat” to an email alert popping up on your phone, distractions can come in many shapes and forms – some which you might not even be aware of.
And while you might think “I’m only quickly checking my email” or “well, it’s just a short chat” studies have shown that an interruption can mean that it takes you over 23 minutes to fully get back on task – and that was back in 2008, just think about how many more distractions we have now with phone notifications, running YouTube videos or podcasts in the background and social media.
So with all this going on, is it possible to stay focused so you can beat the distractions? Let’s take a look!
Slay the Notification Dragon
Think about the number of notifications you get on a daily basis: from a popup notification on your monitor to announce a new email/slack/teams message to your phone screen lighting up because someone liked the picture of your cat you posted, notifications are everywhere.
It might be counterintuitive to turn off notifications – how will you know when an email comes in for example?
That’s where “Time Blocking” or “Time Boxing” comes in.
You check your email/messages at defined times during the day and that way you’re not disturbed by notifications popping up all the time.
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Multitasking? More Like Multi-FAILING!
As we discussed in the introduction to this article, getting distracted can cause you to lose up to 25 minutes each time. The same goes for multitasking.
Moving from one task to another and back again might give you the impression that you’re multitasking and being productive but what you’re actually doing is “switchtasking”.
This term was coined by Dave Crenshaw in his book “The Myth Of Multitasking: How ‘doing it all’ gets nothing done”. While the book was written over 15 years ago, I think the thoughts within it are still relevant today.
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When you move from task A to task B, you’re not actually working on A and B at the same time, you’re doing one task, then the next and then moving back to the first.
This is the same as stopping work due to an interruption – you’ll take time to get back onto the next task and this actually makes you less productive.
From an article way back in 2008 in the New York Times called “Multitasking Can Make You Lose … Um … Focus“:
Multitasking is shifting focus from one task to another in rapid succession. It gives the illusion that we’re simultaneously tasking, but we’re really not. It’s like playing tennis with three balls.
Edward M. Hallowell, psychiatrist
Author of “CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap!”
As we saw with taming notifications, a technique called “time boxing” can help you focus on the tasks at hand.
But, there’s another technique you could try – read on to learn more!
Brain Hacks for Laser Focus
Quite often we’ll decide to “switchtask” (or fake multitask) quite simply because we get bored.
I don’t know about you but I find that concentrating on one subject for an extended period of time can be a bit demotivating.
So how can you “multitask” without the issue of losing all that time when swapping tasks?
That’s where something like the “Pomodoro Technique” comes in.
In a nutshell, the Pomodoro Technique breaks up your day into management sections (Pomodoros). You work on a task for a set number of pomodoros and then take a break. After the break you can choose to carry on with the same task or swap to something new.
The break helps you regain focus when you’re restarting work and the ability to switch helps your work feel fresh and interesting each time.
You can read more about the pomodoro technique in the article below and access a free printable to help you manage your time.
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Tame the Social Media Monkey
Doomscrolling catches us all out at the best of times: a notification pings up on your lock screen – it piques your interest so you take a look and the next thing you know it’s 30 minutes later and you’ve fallen down a rabbit hole on some random internet drama/meme/conspiracy theory.
Not only is doomscrolling bad for your productivity, it’s also detrimental to your mental health as well.
Along with turning your notifications off (or at the very least turning “Do Not Disturb” mode on during certain times) you can also look at enabling your phones wellbeing settings.
While individual apps do allow you some control over screen time by setting reminders, you need to set these for every app and remember to enable them for each new app you install (if it’s an option).
Instead, think of setting screen time warnings/health at an OS level.
On iOS you can use Screen Time to set category level (e.g social media) or app-specific (e.g Facebook) time limits. You’ll get a warning just before your allotted time runs out and after it does the app icon will be greyed out until the timer is reset. You can of course skip the limit if you want to, but it’s good to have a reminder.
On Android you can use the Digital Wellbeing App to track and manage your screentime on a per-app basis. Another feature of Android is “Focus Mode” where you can limit certain apps from sending you notifications while focus mode is on, which is a bit different from “Do Not Disturb” which tends to silence all but the most important notifications.
Conquering the Procrastination Monster
Sometimes you’re not focusing because you’re actively putting off a task or project.
If you’re faced with a massive to-do list or a large project this can lead you to just not want to do anything at all – or at the very least pick up the easiest of tasks such as replying to email or sorting some paperwork rather than cracking on with the task.
There are several ways of managing this: you can use the “Eat The Frog” method where you look at your task list, chose the most horrible/unpalatable one first and get that out of the way so that everything else seems simple by comparison.
You can also use the “Eisenhower Matrix” to help you determine what is important and urgent so you can concentrate on those tasks first as well.
The main thing to remember though is that if you’re looking at a project as a whole, you’ll never really achieve anything.
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It’s also important to understand you and when you’re going to be most productive.
For some people that’s first thing in the morning, for others it’s mid-afternoon and then there are people like me who work best in the late evening.
There’s no point attempting a big, difficult task when your energy (and therefore concentration) levels are low so work to a schedule that is suitable for you. If you try and start a task when your energy levels are low you’ll just procrastinate getting going and that will wreck your productivity and motivation.
The Reward Ritual
Finally, there’s no harm in celebrating your wins – it’s something that will motivate you even more.
I’m not saying give yourself a chocolate bar for each email you send or task you complete, but look at setting up a reward “scheme” so that you can bank points and use them towards larger and more “fun” rewards.
There are plenty of apps that allow you to track work completed and rewards earned and we also have a free download to help you track your tasks and rewards too.
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Knowing that you have a treat/reward to look forward to when you get a particularly nasty task out of your way will help motivate you towards completing it.
Over To You
How do you focus and get out of the mire of procrastinating?
Let us know in the comments below what your tips and techniques are?
Now, I’m off to reward myself with a couple of episodes of my favourite TV show as a reward for writing this!
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