Distraction-Free Productivity: Mastering Focus in a World Full of Distractions

Take a look around you. What do you see? Is there anything that you’re drawn to? That you’re inclined to touch or grab that will take your focus away from reading this blog post? Are there tabs open or something that feels more exciting? After answering these questions, what do you think the next step is? Either save those pages or tabs for later, close them, or remove any items that’ll disrupt your focus.

You see, we have control over what we engage in and I want you to know that you have the power to fight through the discomfort if you choose to (those dopamine hits and the idea that something else is better than what you are currently doing). The other tasks, shows, calls, games, or whatever is currently distracting you can wait and will most likely be there after you finish your current task. You need to be able to envision yourself having the willpower to withhold from these distractions and belief in your ability to make that change for yourself.

The approach I want to take today is how we can use mindfulness as a way to influence our choices and actions. By asking ourselves questions about our distractions and their root cause, gives us more insight in how we can work with them and what they’re trying to tell us. It’s important that you explore your relationship with distractions and hone in to what it means to you because we are all different and what may work for one person, may not work for you.

Here’s a few questions to ask yourself:

What do I usually get distracted by?

How do I feel when I give into that distraction?

What feels better about my distraction than my task at hand? What am I avoiding? How can I make my current task more enjoyable?

How can I change my environment to reduce distractions?

What are the repercussions if I continue to let these distractions lead me?

What stories am I telling myself that allow distraction to lead me?

What am I going to do with the information I just discovered about myself and how will I take action?

Here are a few tricks I’ve learned and used over the years:

**Out of Sight, Out of Mind **

One of the oldest tricks in the book! Remove whatever is distracting you out of your environment or ask them to leave, haha!

**Change your Environment **

Sometimes you just have to change it up and introduce novelty in your world; coffee shops usually do the trick for me because the music isn’t too loud, it’s not crowded, I feel like I’m out and about in the community so I’m still “with” people, and other people are also focusing on projects.

Unsubscribe From Emails

I learned this trick from one of my previous coaches. She told me to unsubscribe from any platform that you’re currently not using. It doesn’t mean you aren’t interested or won’t use their services but if it has nothing to do with your current goals or zone of focus then it could be taking away from productivity.

**Timers + Time Blocking **

When I use timers or schedule an allotted time for a task it allows me to know when something begins and finishes. If I’m completing a task that is less than ideal or brings of feelings of discomfort at least I know that this will only last for a period of time and something potentially more pleasurable is on its way.

Limit Exposure

If I use something as a means to distract myself from doing the things that are important to me, I’m not going to dedicate a ton of my attention to it. I place boundaries around things that I’ve had difficulty with in the past. E.g, scrolling on social media is a huge one for me so I only go on to socialize and give myself a time limit. I think social media is a valuable tool, but I do see that I have to set limits or I’ll become consumed.

**Change Names **

If you find that something isn’t enjoyable, give it another name that makes it seem more exciting or caters to a need. E.g, Cleaning the house becomes maintaining my space and social media becomes community outreach.

I hope you were able to gather valuable information and develop new insights in regards to your relationship with distractions. If you want to continue the conversation or share your ideas, please feel free to comment below or reach out to me. I’d love to hear from you!

Shawntella xx