5 Tips to stay Focused and Avoid Distractions at Work.
I want to share with you 5 tips to avoid distractions at work or during studies that will greatly improve your productivity and your ability to accomplish tasks more efficiently.
The ability to concentrate at work ensures that all your efforts will be a profitable investment by the end of the day.
In fact, as we will see, being distracted at work isn’t the real problem, but just a symptom of the problem. The good news is that we can get rid of distractions by following some very simple instructions.
Let’s dive in !
Tip #1: Having a plan.
If you don’t want to be distracted at work, you must first decide what your work is!
Not having a precise plan means letting your brain wander among several possible choices. Most often the worst choice is the one that wins in the end. If there isn’t a specific thing to do for the next few hours, this means you’ve unconsciously decided that what you’re going to do during that time isn’t so important and you’ll find yourself after a while lying on the couch with your smartphone or remote control in hand.
Take control of your time before it controls you.
Tip #2: Dedicate a place to work.
The brain has several modes. Among them are: sleep mode, eat mode and work mode. The place you are in determines which mode will be activated.
If you are sitting in the kitchen in front of the refrigerator, then the eating mode will be automatically activated, and you will probably hear your share of the chocolate pie calling you. If you are lying in the bedroom watching TV, you may feel sleepy after a while. Working or studying in the wrong place puts you in a state of distraction.
In my case, when I was a university student, my room was my entire home. I slept, ate, watched TV, exercised, and studied in my room. Every time I studied, after barely an hour, my stomach would start growling and I would feel dizzy, and I would end up giving up studying and giving in to my biological needs. None of this is surprising.
The magical solution was to dedicate a room solely for studying.
If there is not enough space in the house, there are two possible solutions. The first is to resort to public spaces: libraries, co-working spaces, coffee shops… The second is to create your own work rituals.
The work rituals is what you do every time you decide to work or study. This will train your brain to activate the work mode whenever you want. The rituals can be, for example :
- organizing the desk,
- preparing the necessary documents,
- turning on the laptop,
- preparing a cup of tea,
- putting on ‘work clothes' (and don’t work with your pyjama!),
- opening the windows to make the room bright.
And let the work begin!
Tip #3: Turn off notifications.
The biggest mistake is underestimating the devastating effects of notifications on concentration. In fact, when we check social media, the brain receives a dose of dopamine, the pleasure hormone, but it's a pleasure that hurts.
Social media is designed to be addictive and therefore to divide our attention as much as possible at all times of the day…More and more studies assert that if we spend long hours in a fragmented state of attention, our ability to concentrate will be definitively reduced.
-Cal Newport.
So, the ability to accomplish tasks that require concentration will also be reduced. A fragmented state of attention means spending hours scattered; every 10 minutes: just a quick look at my Instagram, just to see the comments, just to check if I have new followers...
These "voices" will become accustomed to rudely interrupting your work and stimulating the brain throughout the day.This deprives us of the tranquility we need to do our work. The solution is not to give in.
Successful people make tough decisions. An inspiring example is Nicolas Cole, one of the most successful online writers. He claims that
he turns off his smartphone whenever he wants to write articles.
Yes, he turns it off! But if someone find it hard to do like him, he should at least put the smartphone in a place where he can’t see it. In my experience, that should be enough.
Tip #4: Take breaks.
Neuroscientists estimate that the maximum duration of concentration is 90 minutes before we loose control.
But for most people, this estimate is very optimistic. The best way is to work for a period of 30-45 minutes and then take a break of 10-15 minutes, and then repeat. These short breaks improve engagement at work, which means strong attention concentration, intense absorption, and great energy towards work-related tasks. Therefore, better productivity.
What should you do during the breaks? This detail is also very important. It should be things that require no mental or physical effort. For example, it could be making a phone call, going to the restroom, listening to music, taking a walk, or looking out the window. Do whatever makes you comfortable.
Tip #5: Don’t ignore your feelings.
Being distracted is sometimes the brain’s way of trying to save us from negative feelings: boredom, anxiety and fear.
When we feel like we’re not in control of the situation, we try to focus our attention on everything and therefore on nothing. We cannot ignore these negative feelings; we must get rid of them. In my case, to overcome boredom while learning the French language, I decided to replace grammar and vocabulary books with stories and novels; it made learning very enjoyable and much easier. Once the problem is diagnosed, the solution become apparent.
Improving your concentration requires making firm decisions and adopting healthy habits. It’s up to you to chose between what distracts you and what puts you on the right path to success.
