Time is the most valuable asset in your life. It plays a key role in shaping success. In today’s world, when distractions lie at our fingertips, it isn’t easy to manage your time productively. It’s the natural instinct of the human brain to react to distractions. Anything pleasurable or unusual would appeal to your brain, making it shift focus from the task at hand. Understandably, your brain would find a YouTube video more interesting than an Excel spreadsheet. Such distractions are just a notification away from interrupting your work. The digitalized world has made distractions more accessible, as you can’t focus on your computer screen for hours without a notification popping up. However, when you have been interrupted, it may take over 20 minutes to regain your concentration. An average person gets distracted multiple times a day, so you probably spend a few hours just refocusing daily.
How to Overcome Distractions?
Everybody dreams of success in their lives, but distractions can get in the way. Along with the external distractions, such as smartphones, social media, notifications, the internal distractions can be detrimental, too. This includes fatigue, stress, or daydreaming. To revive your productivity, it is crucial to fight these distractions. Here are the 7 most effective strategies to overcome distractions:
- Put your phone away
Smartphone addiction is pretty common nowadays. A little buzz from your phone is enough to make your entire day unproductive. Notifications trigger the fight or flight response in our system. As soon as you hear the notification sound, your mind becomes curious. It can release hormones like dopamine and cortisol, depending on the type of message you received. To solve this problem, we recommend locking away your phone in a drawer or installing applications on your phone that block social media. It will not only enhance your focus but will help to reduce stress, as well.
- Prioritize your goals
Sometimes, we have a bunch of tasks to finish but it’s difficult to decide the sequence. When you prioritize your tasks, you give your brain a clear idea of your daily goals. It’s better to create two separate to-do lists – write the urgent tasks on a different list than the less relevant tasks. While crossing out all the completed tasks is motivating, you should still create realistic goals. We suggest you set no more than 2-3 goals each day to avoid going into panic mode.
- Give yourself deadlines
Deadlines can be scary, but they help you work at a faster pace. If you have plenty of time to finish a task, you’re more likely to procrastinate. People often end up lazing around or spending their time doing something unproductive. Give yourself shorter deadlines, as it can make you focus more efficiently on your work. If you have to finish a task in four hours, set a goal to complete it an hour early. A short deadline will make you avoid distractions, as well as procrastination.
- Choose the right environment
Working in a small cafe sounds calming, right? It may not be the best place for your focus, though. People tend to concentrate better in quiet spaces, instead of places with music or loud conversations. A quiet place with minimal sound can make you finish your tasks quickly. Research has shown that irrelevant background noise can distract you from your work. Even worse, it may result in extra revisions because your mind was busy trying to listen to the distracting speeches.
- Take Regular Breaks
If you think breaks are interruptions, then you’re wrong. Just like your body, your brain also needs breaks to function properly. To keep your motivation high, it’s important to take short breaks in-between tasks. Constantly working for hours can decrease your focus, which in turn damages the quality of your work. A brief walk outside or having a small discussion with your colleague can be beneficial for your focus.
- Manage your stress levels
When working on a difficult task, it’s easier to get stressed. You may have heard the various negative effects of stress on your body, but oxidative stress can be harmful to your brain, as well. It can cause you to lose focus, short-term memory loss, and difficulty staying on track. It’s important to bring your stress levels down to avoid any damage to your brain. Meditation and breathing exercises can help to reduce stress.
- Monitor your thoughts
We spend most of our time thinking or overthinking. When your mind is packed with negative thoughts, it will make you unproductive. Feelings of unhappiness can lead to a loss of concentration. It’s crucial to monitor your thoughts and bring your attention back to important tasks. Learn the pattern of your thoughts and what’s causing you to overthink. If you have control over your thoughts, you can easily avoid distractions by shifting your focus to your goals.
Conclusion
Beating yourself up for getting distracted will get you nowhere. When you learn the ways you get distracted and form strategies to overcome it, you’ll gradually regain your focus. The articles on www.healthcanal.com also talk about the importance of paying attention to your brain and concentration. If you’re conscious about your focus, then your brain will work on eliminating distractions.
