How to Focus & Avoid Distraction
You’re in the zone. The ideas are flowing and you’re finally making progress on the project in front of you. Then it happens. Your phone starts buzzing like crazy. Someone pokes their head into your space for a question or chat. And...it’s gone. The flow. The ideas. The momentum. Gone.
Ugh.
Yes, things happen. We can’t control the outside interference, but we can take steps to create an environment that minimizes distraction and allows for greater concentration and focus. So, let’s look at four ways that we can set ourselves up for success.
Find Your Ideal Physical Space
Whether you work at home, in an office, or other work space, there are things you can do to help create a physical space that helps you focus. Let’s start with working at home. As I talk about in Top 4 Tips for Work-From-Home Newbies, it’s important to establish a designated place in your home just for work time. By doing so, you train your brain to recognize a physical location as the place where you focus and work. When you enter that space, you are mentally prepared for this area of your life and can more easily find your focus and rhythm. At the end of your work day, it is much easier to leave work at “work” by physically leaving that work space. As much as possible, your work space should be away from home distractions: TV, kitchen, laundry room, and high-traffic areas if there are others home with you.
In an office, you are more-than-likely assigned your work space, but there are things you can do here as well to minimize potential distractions.
Angle your computer/work area away from potential distractions.
Keep noise-cancelling headphones on hand (see #5 under Task Switching for more on music choices).
Make use of empty, available conference and meeting rooms. If you are able to reserve the room to block some high-concentration time, even better.
If you find yourself working from public locations such as a library or coffee shop, see if you can find a spot that is away from the high-traffic areas such as the front door, restroom, or where employees are working. As with an office setting, try facing away from potential distractions (others walking by, window views of a busy area).
One of my favorite places to work is at the car dealership when my car is being serviced. They have a balcony area away from traffic and TVs with a few tables and available outlets. Not many people are aware of the area, so it’s usually pretty empty. I actually enjoy those state inspections, oil changes, and scheduled services because I’m able to focus and accomplish so much in that dedicated time.
Block Your Time
Let’s start with what time blocking is. Time blocking is a way of organizing your schedule so that you are able to dedicate key time to your priorities, focus on one thing at a time, and batch similar tasks together for quicker completion. By establishing a time-blocked schedule, you know what you will be working on when. This allows you to mentally prepare and reach a high level of focus and flow easier than if your time were left open. It helps prevent task switching and creates boundaries to honor your time. As I discuss in the video Ask the Expert: Time Blocking, you can even create theme days. This is where you dedicate specific days to different areas of your business. For example, you can have a content creation day, 2-3 days just for client sessions, and a day for meetings or personal development.
Set Conditions to Avoid Task Switching
We all like the idea of multitasking, but the truth is that our brains aren’t built to focus on more than one thing at a time. Any time we’re able to do multiple things at once, like singing in the shower or having a conversation while driving, we’re actually only focusing on one of those things. The other has become an ingrained habit that we simply perform on autopilot. Check out The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg for more about habits.
So, what we think of as multitasking--like reading through emails while on a conference call--is actually task switching. Our brain can focus on EITHER the email OR the conversation on the conference call, but not both. As we switch our focus from one task to another, it takes time for our brains to catch up and figure out what’s going on. It’s those “wait...where was I?” moments that take away from our ability to be successful at either task. Experts have suggested that it can take between 20-30 minutes to regain focus after task switching. If you’re continuously switching back and forth from one thing to another, you’re not going to make much progress on either one.
The ability to focus and avoid distraction can come down to setting conditions for yourself to minimize the opportunities for task switching. Here are a few suggestions on things you can do:
Turn off your phone. Yes, completely off.
Set up an auto response for email and/or social media messages indicating the blocks of time you will be available to respond.
Put a “do not disturb” sign on your door along with a spot for people to leave you written messages.
Turn off the wifi access to your computer/device. You won’t be tempted to check social media or a favorite site if it won’t load.
Know what kinds of music help and hinder your focus. Typically classical or instrumental music allows for greater focus while catchy tunes or songs with lyrics tend to break your concentration. Some people find they do better with silence while others find greater motivation and inspiration from a little background music. The goal is to only allow what benefits you.
Join a co-working group for accountability. In my weekly virtual co-working sessions, I have everyone declare what they’re working on before we get started and then let me know their progress at the end of the time. When someone else knows the one thing you’re working on, it’s much easier to stick with that task knowing that they’re going to be checking in with you.
Create A Break State
If you were to do a high-intensity workout, you would probably start to feel the fatigue before too long. Just like your muscles tire and your physical energy drains with exertion, so does your mental focus over time. Even though it may seem like pushing through would be the more productive solution, it’s actually more productive to take frequent breaks. Your brain has time, that way, to rest and recover so that you can then maintain your focus for longer. I tell my clients all the time: if you don’t take a break, your brain will do it for you in the form of distraction and inability to focus.
I follow the Pomodoro Technique, which has you work for 25 minute-incriments with a 5 minute break between. During that break, you stretch, walk around, get a drink of water, and disconnect from the task you were focused on. Just a quick break state can be all you need to reset and refocus.
If you’d like to experience the Pomodoro Technique with some accountability, come join us for a free virtual co-working session. Click here to send me a message and schedule your free trial session.
