How to Stay Focused in an Increasingly Distracting World

Absentmindedly, you reach for your phone. You open your favourite app. Nothing has changed since you last did this 10 minutes ago, but you kind of forgot that you'd just done this. So, you open a different app… but you were just there, too. Does this sound familiar? 

Sometimes, we convince ourselves we're being super productive by staying up to date with the latest news and happenings on social media and responding to emails immediately. The reality of the matter, though, is you are distracting yourself from bigger things. 

When you're at work your focus should be on work. When you're at home your focus should be on your home life. It’s time to take back control. 

Distracting yourself is a sign that you are procrastinating too. You’ll find yourself procrastinating the more you dislike an activity and it’s an avoidance strategy for not wanting to feel negative emotions. According to Tim Pychyl, a psychologist, who wrote the book “Solving the procrastination puzzle” there are 7 triggers that make a task seem more averse including:

• Boring
• Frustrating
• Difficult
• Ambiguous
• Unstructured
• Not intrinsically rewarding (i.e., you don’t find the process fun)
• Lacking in personal meaning.

Ask yourself if there’s something you’ve been putting off and whether any of those triggers apply?

To overcome procrastination, two strategies are: 

• Force Yourself to Get Started on the activity because it’s the emotional side of your brain that’s causing the resistance. You can simply set your alarm for 30 mins of focused time to get it underway, this will make you feel more productive and have a sense of progress. Often you’ll feel guilty when procrastinating and this is one of the lowest negative emotions that people feel so you don’t want to stay in that energy as it has all sorts of negative effects. 

• Remove Digital Distractions such as your phone and social media. Your phone and devices are huge time wasters and may cause stress so what can you do to remove the distractions?

Here are 5 ways to help you stay focused:

• No More Notifications

Open your phone settings right now and go in and turn off notifications. You don't need an update about who sent what Tweet yesterday but it's time for you to see it now. You don't need a constant stream of distressing news updates breaking your focus. Check your social media at set times, do the same for email, and ignore it the rest of the time. 

• A Healthy Routine

You can improve your focus by establishing a healthy daily routine. When you set your routine and you get used to it you don't have to waste time thinking about what comes next. It's why people like Steve Jobs did and Mark Zuckerberg does wear the same outfit. 

• Prioritise

What does your day look like? What is on your to-do list? The best way to avoid distractions is to rank your tasks in order of priority. It can be overwhelming when you think about all of the things you need to do, by putting them in order you remove the stress and overwhelm. 

• Say No To Multitasking

Are you a multitasker? If yes, are you good at it? If yes, you're wrong. Sorry. Your attempt at multi-tasking is slowing you down, reducing your productivity, and you're not doing each task as well as you could be. By multitasking, you contribute to distractions.

• Renew 

When your schedule is going haywire, when the world is throwing distractions in your face it's difficult to take a moment for yourself. However, renewal is vital. As your energy dips, memory is fading, and you can feel the stress creeping in, it is important that you withdraw from that and take time to regenerate.

Is it time to end distractions and procrastination and get stuck into what needs to be done?

Sign up for my free guide "5 Strategies to Bust Stress Fast" by clicking here. These strategies can help you in all areas of your life.

Here's to living your best life!

Melissa Taylor

Future Transcendence Leadership Mentor

Author of A Practical Guide to Finding Your Soul Purpose