Why Are You Always Distracted? The 5 Keys To Mastering Self-Discipline
Ever had those days where you just can’t seem to focus for more than five minutes? Whether you have a project to work on, a deadline to meet, or simply a desire to become more productive, being distracted all the time can be a huge pain.
Here are my five keys to mastering self-discipline so that you can stay focused anytime, all the time.
1. Start Your Day Right
This may seem odd at first, but starting off your day with a productive morning routine can make or break your ability to stay disciplined throughout the day.
I’ve noticed that if I start my morning unproductively, such as by going on social media, it will be almost impossible for me to stay focused the rest of the day. On the flip side, if I start my day with a productive routine, work flows easier and I am able to resist distractions for much longer.
The morning defines your day, so spend your morning the right way.
It is essential to not only establish a productive morning routine but also to stay consistent with it so that you can achieve maximum productivity every day.
The three things you should ABSOLUTELY avoid during any morning routine are as follows:
- Social media
- Video games
- Any kind of drugs or alcohol
While these may seem like a no-brainer, the reason to avoid them is so that your brain doesn’t start the day with a dopamine high that will take away the joy from the rest of your day.
If you want the best morning routine, you can read my article on the ultimate morning routine for a happy and productive day.
2. Do Less
When I tell people to do less to achieve more, they often get confused. How do you achieve more by doing less?
The answer to that is simple. Focus on quality over quantity. By performing fewer activities, you can put more focus on the ones that matter.
The best way to do less is by listing down all of the commitments you have on a weekly basis and how many activities you perform during one week. Then, circle only the top two or three activities that are most important to you.
Once you have done this, remove the other commitments during your week if possible. If not, cut down on the amount of time you spend on non-essential tasks and put the majority of your effort into the activities you care most about.
Doing this will ensure that you maximize your potential in the skills you most want to develop by optimizing the amount of time and effort you put into them.
3. Your Two Selves
You have to manage your two selves in order to achieve self-discipline.
Self 1 is your impulsive and distracted self. Self 1 will always tell you “just one more TikTok” or “just one more game”. If you are trying to sleep early but your friends ask you to hang out, Self 1 says, “sure, I can push my bedtime back by one hour”.
Self 2, on the other hand, is your rational and productive self. Self 2 says, in the back of your mind, “I should really get off this game and go to sleep”, or “I should get off Instagram and get to work on my project”.
The way to achieve self-discipline is not by eliminating Self 1, but by letting Self 1 and Self 2 talk together to come to the best decision.
You shouldn’t let Self 1 run wild nor should you bow to every request of Self 2, but you should find a balance that will be best for your mental health and your productivity in the long run
4. Stop Switching Tasks
How often do you find yourself picking up steam on one task just to switch to another one and lose all your momentum? Constantly switching tasks is a huge source of distraction and makes it hard for you to stay focused on one task.
The most common reasons for switching tasks are notifications, unwillingness to do work, and the people around you.
Here are the solutions to each of these problems.
Notifications — turn off all notifications on your devices and ideally, work in a separate room from your phone. Additionally, turn off email notifications if you find yourself distracted by email.
Unwillingness to do work — If you’re feeling particularly lazy today the best solution is to set “undivided focus” timers where you set timers anywhere between 25–50 minutes that mark periods of complete focus on your work. Once the timer is done, take a break for a few minutes and set another one if you need.
People — Ideally, work in an isolated room where co-workers, friends, or family are not able to bother you. If that isn’t possible, try noise-canceling headphones or tell the people around you to not distract you while you are working.
Switching tasks can take away much of the concentrated focus needed to perform any task effectively.
5. Delay Gratitude
The last key to mastering self-discipline is delaying gratification.
Delayed gratification means resisting the temptation of an immediate reward, in anticipation that there will be a greater reward later.
Without the ability to delay gratification, you are stuck in a dopamine hole where you are addicted to social media, games, and other forms of immediate gratification. The result is that you won’t be able to put your head down to work towards greater rewards, like better fitness or career improvements.
To improve at delaying gratification, start by incrementally increasing the amount of work and giving yourself a bigger reward at the end. Instead of focusing for fifteen minutes and scrolling through email for five more, work for one hour and give yourself a fifteen-minute break.
Promising yourself a greater reward at the end will motivate you to work harder for a longer time.
A Note On Self-Discipline
Self-discipline is a life-long skill that takes many years to develop. If you recognize that your discipline is weak, put in an active effort to improve it.
It is important to remember that discipline can be improved and that you aren’t “just undisciplined”. If you adopt a growth mindset and believe that you can improve your discipline to focus, you will realize that distractions aren’t so distracting after all.
