- Have a Plan the Night Before. Consider writing down two things that must get completed in order for that day to be productive. …
- Turn Off the Distractions. …
- Get Comfortable. …
- Practice Meditation. …
- Set Smaller Goals. …
- Sleep. …
- Use Visual Reminders. …
- Reward Yourself.
When you’re trying to balance relationships, work a part-time job, and maintaining your grades in college, it can be overwhelming. Most of us become distracted by phone calls, texts, and push notifications. According to research conducted by Dr. The typical student is “distracted for at least five out of every 15 minutes they set aside to study,” according to Larry Rosen, professor emeritus at California State University, Dominguez Hills. This is typically due to texting and social media use.
How to Overcome Laziness and Distractions – One of the Best Motivational Speeches Ever
Why is it important to eliminate distractions while working?
Eliminating distractions while working is crucial because doing so will allow you to focus on your daily tasks and be more productive, giving you more time to pursue your interests outside of work. Internet browsing, checking email, and texting friends are just a few distractions that people may experience at work. You can work more attentively and efficiently if you can learn to put distractions out of your way while you’re doing it.
15 ways to eliminate distractions
There are many ways to eliminate distractions from the workplace. To reduce distractions and increase your daily work output, think about implementing some of these strategies:
1. Have a plan before you begin
Try creating a plan of action before starting your work for the day. Before the day is over, make a list of the objectives you want to achieve, and cross them off as you go. You can allocate time to each task by having a clear understanding of what needs to be done before you even start.
2. Set time limits on your goals
After you’ve made a list of objectives you want to accomplish by the end of the day, you can allot a certain amount of time for each item on the list based on how long you anticipate it will take you to finish each task. While some tasks, like responding to emails related to your job, can be completed quickly, others will take much more of your time and effort. The level of difficulty of each task may be directly correlated with the amount of time you give yourself to complete it.
3. Complete the most challenging tasks early in the day
Consider starting your workday with the tasks that will require the most effort when making your list of daily goals. Often, in the morning, before we’ve spent hours working, our minds are the most clear-headed and focused. The more difficult tasks can be finished now, freeing up time for the simpler ones later in the day when it might be harder to maintain concentration for extended periods of time.
4. Set smaller goals
Setting manageable objectives for yourself throughout the day can improve your task management. Consider breaking up a larger objective that might take you half a day to complete into smaller goals. You can achieve the bigger goal by setting more compact objectives and developing a step-by-step procedure. As opposed to trying to complete the task all at once, this enables you to focus for shorter periods of time, allowing your mind to take more frequent breaks.
5. Give yourself a shorter time frame to work
Choosing when you will start working and when you will finish for the day before the start of each workday may be helpful. Knowing your exact end-of-day schedule will help you maintain focus while working so that you can meet the deadline you’ve set for yourself. Additionally, it prevents you from working too much, giving you time to pursue your interests outside of work.
6. Leave the distractions behind
Technology is a significant source of distractions for people who are attempting to finish their work. Think about turning off the incoming notifications on your smartwatch and other devices, as well as your cellphone. Additionally, reserve any use of streaming video services for after your workday is over or when you want to take a break. By removing the technological distractions, you may be able to concentrate on your work for longer and finish it earlier.
7. Get comfortable
Feeling comfortable while you work can make distractions less likely. The degree of comfort you can achieve may vary depending on where you work. If you work from home, you can adjust the temperature to your liking and put on comfortable clothing that you will feel at ease in all day. You can bring in items that make you feel at ease if you work in an office setting, like an oil diffuser or a lamp with good lighting.
8. Sleep
In order to function properly during the day, it is imperative to get enough sleep. Your brain will function at its peak in the morning if you give it enough time to rest and recharge at night. This will probably make it easier for you to focus on your work.
9. Practice meditation
Meditation aids in clearing the mind of intrusive ideas so that you can concentrate on one thing at a time. Consider taking a brief break from your work to pay attention to your breathing for a few minutes. Sit down and slowly breathe in and out while counting to a number of your choice in a quiet place. Try to ignore any thoughts that arise while you are counting.
The first few times may be difficult, but if you can block out all other thoughts and concentrate only on counting and breathing, you might find that when you’re finished, your mind feels more clear and you can concentrate when you return to work.
10. Use visual reminders
Sometimes all you need to refocus your mind is a visual cue. Simply placing a sticky note with the word “focus” somewhere in your workspace can help with this. Ensure that whatever image you choose is clearly visible so that you can refer to it frequently as a quick reminder to stay on task while working.
11. Take a break
Many people frequently forget to take brief breaks during the workday. They can help you avoid distractions and improve the overall quality of your work product. To give your mind a break from working on tasks, think about taking a brief break every hour. You can stretch, take a walk, eat a snack, read a chapter of a book, or listen to music. By using a timer, you can keep track of your break and know when to return to work after it has finished.
12. Give yourself a reward
Occasionally, delaying gratification enables people to complete their tasks more quickly. You can achieve this by deciding on a reward for yourself when you reach your day’s most important objective. Consider an incentive that will encourage you to finish your work so that you can take pleasure in your reward, whether it is placing an order for your favorite lunch, allowing yourself a 30-minute break to watch TV, or allowing yourself to enjoy time on your phone.
13. Prepare your workspace
Remove trash, extra pens, and anything else that might distract you from your workspace at the end of each day to make it clean and ready for the next. You might also want to keep some water bottles and a snack nearby so that you can quickly reach for them if you get hungry or thirsty without pausing your work.
14. Turn off notifications
You might receive numerous email notifications throughout the day if you work in an office setting. To avoid being tempted to interrupt your work to check your emails, you might want to turn off all of your computer’s notifications. You can do this by scheduling time in your daily goals to check and respond to all emails, or you can do it during one of your scheduled breaks.
15. Be aware of when your mind loses focus
It is simple for our thoughts to stray from whatever we are concentrating on at work. By enabling you to regain your focus on what you are actively doing, being more aware of when you are straying from the task you are working on could ultimately save you time in the future.
You can prevent thinking about certain things in the future by being aware of the types of thoughts that keep you from working. For instance, you will be aware that those thoughts are a major distraction for you and can recenter your mind on what you are currently working on if you notice that you are thinking about what your dog is doing at home while you are away frequently.
