How to avoid distractions at work?

If you make a quick search on the web on how to become more productive, you will notice everyone encourages you to avoid distractions. Finding motivation is easy for some people, but staying focused is a real challenge. They say that focus is a skill that grows in humans as we grow up. Preserving your attention without getting distractions may be the outcome of meditation or years of wisdom. However, how is it possible to keep the same attitude at work? What do some people do better to succeed in focusing? The solutions are not magic. You still have a lot of effort to make to accomplish high levels of productivity. Still, a few hacks will help you overcome any obstacles and find your way to success.

1. Don’t overthink
   Let’s assume you have set the goals for today’s work and have ended up with a bunch of tasks. It may sound hard, but every time you find yourself leaving the working place, or surfing on the web instead of working, bring your attention to this simple question: ”what was I initially planning to do?”

   Without allowing yourself any second thoughts on the matter, stop whatever was a source of distraction and turn your focus to work. When we are distracted, we postpone our tasks for the next day, and this is a circle that never ends unless we stop thinking and start acting.

2. Take care of yourself and your space
   Working in a clean and tidy environment is unbelievably essential. How do you expect to focus on your pc, when your desk is crowded with reports and copies that lay there asking you to pay attention?

   The large amount of information that passes through your eyes is a tremendous source of distraction. At the same time, when you decide to work without taking care of your body, things get harder. If your work allows it, you can have quick breaks for physical exercise. You can adapt this technique to give your body a way out to get rid of the stress that adds during the day and eventually leads to low mental alertness.

3. Choose the right time
   Maybe staying focused is not that easy. An excellent idea about what you can do to eliminate distractions is perhaps not disappearing them but to let them exist at other times of the day. Morning hours have proven to be ideal for mental work because our brain is fully relaxed.

   All of the worries have been processed during sleep, and distractions have not made their entrance throughout the day. Do your work at times when you are naturally focused, and no thoughts bother your mind. Whether you prefer working in the morning or you are a late bird, just pick a time you are usually relaxed and try to see what happens when you work then.

4. Study your distractions
   As long as there are things bothering you on a daily basis, inevitably your ability to focus will not increase rapidly. Losing focus is one thing, but having issues is a whole different story, and pretending they don’t exist will not help.

   Toxic thoughts and even toxic people in your environment create a source of distraction for your mind and stress you out. Try to get these people out of your life as much as possible, especially if you are surrounded by them during working hours. In case this is persistent, don’t hesitate to ask for professional help and improve your work and life.

5. Put limits
   It is essential to know in detail what you are supposed to do and not to do during your work or study. This will help you understand what you expect to be acceptable and what not. If this works for you better, you can ban some websites from your personal computer that you often feel tempted to visit. It sounds strict, but it may be the most crucial factor to eliminate your distractions.

   Working on a laptop with a screen in front of you, where no one can see what you are doing, is very tempting because it is super easy. It gives you the chance to escape very quickly and without having to apologize to anyone since you are not threatened to be ”caught”. To make your life easier, there are apps controlling the amount of time you spend on social media or any web page; just install them.

Written by Anna Siampani.