This article is for those who cannot work without being distracted and finish what they started, faced with laziness and lack of self-organization. Maybe you're a freelancer, working on your own and lacking discipline. Or you work in the office on various projects and often miss deadlines because you can't get everything done on time. Or you just don’t get to do some work for a long time because of laziness and the desire to be distracted.

Then this article is for you. I hope my advice will help you. Here I will tell how to make yourself work and do the job more efficiently.

This post is dedicated to the first anniversary of the blog site! During the year, attendance increased from zero to 3,500 people per day! I consider this a good result. But well, we will be more distracted by this and return to the topic of the article.

Discipline and self-organization

I used to be fascinated all the time by organized and disciplined people who can work hard when they need to. And for this they do not need a boss who will urge and control them. They do not need any special office work environment: they can work at home and still resist the temptation to lie down and be lazy. They are completely independent and autonomous. They know how to plan, set goals and achieve those goals.

My admiration for these people was mixed with envy, for the reason that I myself lacked discipline and needed it very much. Work always fell out of my hands, I was constantly distracted by something, I was late with deadlines, and some tasks remained unfulfilled. I didn’t have any schedule and plan, I could start doing something only when they were seriously running out of time or someone would push me. It is clear that the quality and efficiency of such work in such conditions has always left much to be desired.

But now a lot has changed. Every day I work on filling and setting up two sites (this blog and its English counterpart - nperov.com), plus I do my main work. (I won’t pretend too much and honestly say that at my main job, I’m not very busy yet, but, nevertheless, I work a lot, including on my own projects - the blog takes me a lot time.) I can work at home, in the office, it doesn't matter. I learned to get things done, to work methodically and not be distracted by extraneous stimuli. About what principles helped me in this, I will tell here.

Write for this blog

Writing articles for the site is, of course, a pleasure. But on the other hand, it's pretty hard work. My main job and technical support of this site is much less labor intensive than writing structured text. The posts on this blog require a lot of mental effort, concentration and perseverance from me. I'm not pouring a random stream of consciousness on this site. Before my thoughts appear on the pages of this blog, they need to be combed, streamlined, organically woven into the overall structure and presented in the form of a ready-made, understandable and adapted text for readers.

After the article is finished, I feel a strong moral satisfaction, as if I had completed a difficult task, which this occupation is indisputably. What helps me to work at my main job and, for a whole year, to supply readers with quite voluminous articles? Let's talk about the principles that formed the basis of my work discipline. These principles will help you too.

Principle 1 - Set time standards for work

Without a plan, it's hard to get yourself to work. Therefore, you must learn to plan and stick to the plan. What kind of planning approach to use?

I have tried two different approaches:

1. Make a plan for the amount of work for a certain time period. For example: I have to write 3000 words in a day and until I do this, I will not do anything else.
2. The second is to follow a fixed time standard. For example: I work 4 hours, with three breaks of 10 minutes, then I rest for an hour and work another 1.5 hours. And it doesn't matter how much work I have done during this time.

I found that the second approach is much more reasonable and efficient than the first, now I will explain why:

Quality of work: if he strives to get the job done as quickly as possible, then quality may suffer from this. If a person is tied to the performance of a certain volume, and not work on time, then there is no direct goal to complete the work. But, anyway, this person unconsciously seeks to finish it quickly.

When I set myself standards like 3,000 words a day, I wanted to “reach the finish line” as soon as possible, so I did not take long pauses to think about what I would write in a few paragraphs. This did not reflect very well on the quality of work: then it had to be redone.

I write different articles at different speeds, depending on my current state and the content of the article (for example, I wrote an article about it quite quickly, despite the length, but I can write some other text longer). Therefore, 4-5 hours may not be enough for me to write as much as I want.

Then I get tired, but I still need to work and fulfill the set plan. If I am tired, then even my favorite activity can turn into torment for me. Then I do everything more slowly and through force, which also negatively affects the quality of work and leads to even more severe fatigue.

Work speed: in my opinion, if a person does not set time limits for himself and does not strive to complete something in a certain short time, then he does the work at his natural speed while maintaining the proper quality of this work, provided that he is not distracted by anything. You can define this speed by the transport term "cruising speed".

For example, if I plan to write for 4 hours, then I am in no hurry. But at the same time, it cannot be said that because of this, work is much slower. I'm still interested in getting the job done, so I'm doing it at a normal pace, I'm just not in a hurry. Perhaps, in such a measured rhythm, things are moving a little slower than in a hurry and in an effort to finish as soon as possible, but on the other hand, quality does not suffer and fatigue is reduced.

Imagine that you are flying in an airplane. This huge ship, of course, can turn on the engines at full thrust (in flight at cruising speed, the engines of a passenger aircraft are running at about 50% of their power, if I'm not mistaken) and try to reach their destination before the scheduled time of arrival. But this will lead to non-optimal fuel consumption: a lot of fuel will be burned. And, in addition, the pilot risks the safety of passengers when he goes beyond the normal flight.

If the aircraft moves through the air in its usual mode, at cruising speed, then fuel costs will be minimal and travel conditions will become the safest for passengers. It will eventually reach its destination anyway.

I find it best to work at my natural pace for a fixed amount of time, with no rush or distraction. Still, you will achieve your goal, it will not leave you anywhere. You will simply use your resources more efficiently.

It will be better if you combine the two approaches described above in your work planning. Work for a fixed amount of time, but at the same time, keep in mind the amount of work you want. Always look back at how much you ended up doing. But this factor, I repeat, should not play a decisive role.

I give an example from my practice: today I worked 5 hours, but I wrote only 700 words. It's very slow, what's the matter? I thought about the article for a long time, rewrote several paragraphs, then I was interrupted. It turns out I couldn't write it anymore today. So everything is fine, and I can end on this.

But it could have been different, I wrote so little, because I myself was constantly distracted by all sorts of nonsense. If so, then tomorrow I will try to stick to the schedule more strictly so that the work will move faster.

Principle 2 - Start with the hardest problems

If you have the ability to complete your work tasks in any sequence, then start with what requires maximum effort. I start writing articles in the morning, and then I do all the other work on the blog: the technical part, promotion, communication, etc. There is no question that I write articles tired. But I can fix the site code if I'm a little tired.

Principle 3 - Don't get distracted!

This is perhaps the most important rule to read here. Guided by principle 1, plan a time interval (for example, 3 hours) during which you will work with rest breaks. Close ICQ, Skype, and the Internet or use them only for business purposes.

Firstly, you can get carried away with some sudden activity and forget about work. I think that everyone has come across such a situation when they wanted to get in touch to read a message for a minute, and this minute stretched into several hours of wandering around the sites on the Internet.

Secondly, when you are distracted, the efficiency of your activity drops dramatically, since, upon returning to work, you need to practically immerse yourself in work again.

Make it a rule that you should not engage in any side activities until the end of the work time or the hour of the break. It is difficult to adhere to this principle, but it is necessary to strive for this.

As Neil Fiore advises in his book, if you want to get distracted and do some nonsense, for example, go to your VKontakte profile, before doing this, take 10 slow breaths in and out. This will help you make an intelligent decision and remember that the work will not get done faster if you are constantly distracted.

Principle 4 - If the work is not going, do nothing

Nothing works? Have you reached a dead end? Tired of working? But you haven't completed the plan yet? Take a rest, relax. Resting does not mean checking emails or checking social media updates. Just move back in your chair from the monitor (assuming you're working at a computer, of course) and relax. Try to sit like this for a few minutes without doing anything. Remember, no side effects until you have completed the plan on time!

Therefore, sit down and keep in mind the idea that you cannot do anything other than work, because you made a promise to yourself to work for several hours. After a while, some thoughts may come to you that will lead you out of the impasse that has been created in your work. From boredom and inactivity, your hands will reach for the keyboard themselves and continue to work.

If you have no choice but to work, then your brain will automatically return to this activity if you give it some rest time. This rule helps me a lot. Often I feel great temptations to drop everything and interrupt. This especially happens in those moments when I can’t do something for a long time, for example, to formulate some thought.

Then I throw back my head, relax and the thought itself comes to me. And if it doesn’t come, then I find other solutions, for example, focus on another piece of work, and return to this later.

Another possible solution to such situations is to switch to less strenuous work. If I am completely tired of writing an article, in order not to waste time in vain, I start, for example, digging into the site code, or answer questions from readers. I can use this time in another way: sit back and think about what the next article will be about.

In short, if you set a plan to work for at least 5 hours, then use all this time to your advantage for work, even if you do not occupy this entire time period with your main activity.

If I can’t concentrate at all and any thoughts come to me, but not thoughts about work, I don’t try to force myself to concentrate, I just relax, watch and wait. After a while, all extraneous thoughts leave my mind and I can again concentrate on work. It is similar to the movement of a ball in a funnel: at first it frantically rushes from edge to edge in this space, but then, under the influence of gravity, it necessarily falls into a narrow tube at the bottom of the funnel.

The main thing at this time is not to be interrupted by something else, just sit and wait.

But if you are already very tired, then you do not need to bring yourself to exhaustion unless absolutely necessary, even if you have not completed the plan! If I get really tired, I finish my work and I can goof off and relax. If the body is tired, I give it a rest. But to get tired you need to work.

I will add that during the planned break in work, it is better to give your head a rest than to climb the Internet. Go out for a walk or just sit back in your chair, then you'll be better rested and don't run the risk of getting bogged down in some pointless activity.

Principle 5 - Keep the workplace organized

The outer order reflects the inner order and vice versa. It is very difficult to collect your thoughts and work at a table littered with all sorts of rubbish. Clean up your workspace, not only physical, but also virtual: put things in order on your computer, delete unnecessary files, scatter everything in folders instead of cluttering it up.

Principle 6 - Drink less coffee!

I know it sounds very strange, but the absence of the habit of drinking coffee daily increases efficiency, increases concentration and allows you to properly prioritize. You can read more about this in my article.

Principle 7 - Improve Self-Discipline

It is difficult to force yourself to do something if you have poorly developed willpower. In my article, I gave some tips on how to achieve this.

The more developed your will, the easier it is to step over laziness, inaction and control the desires of your body (sleep, eat, play the fool).

Conclusion - why didn't I write anything about motivation?

I have listed the basic principles that help me in my main work and in side activities. I didn’t touch on it, although articles of this kind often talk about how important motivation is, without which, any work turns into torment.

Motivation, of course, is good, but I prefer not to depend on it, because this is a transient thing: either it is there or it is not. It is impossible to feed on its fire all the time, so that work always brings pleasure. You will always face situations where you have to do something through force, and this is normal.

I love helping people and writing useful articles, I have great plans for this site and see my future in working on it. Of course, this is a huge incentive and motivation. But, nevertheless, this desire cannot fuel me with working enthusiasm every day and every minute. When I have to work, I constantly struggle with my desires to play the fool, listen to music or surf the Internet.

Enthusiasm is a temporary thing and its appearance does not always depend on us. Some days the work is in full swing, on others there is nothing to do. But willpower is not a transient thing and we can control it! I prefer to rely on something permanent and something that I myself can influence, namely, on my own will, and not on an external stimulus! It's just more reliable. That's why I don't write about motivation.

Remember, getting started is the hardest part. But one has only to start working, to overcome the initial decelerating moment of inertia, and the work will boil, spin like a flywheel!

If you do not see any incentive and purpose in your work at all, then change the type of activity and look for your purpose. But this will be the topic of a separate article.

In today's high-tech world with a high pace of life, it is increasingly difficult to focus on one thing and not be distracted. Thoughts, actions and appliances that are an important part of daily life can become a hindrance when trying to concentrate. If it is necessary not to be distracted from the task, then you should create an atmosphere in which your attention will not be scattered around. This may involve turning off your phone and many other electronic devices, scheduling work hours, and following your own schedule.

Steps

How to create the right environment

Turn off your phone and other devices. If you need to get busy with work, cleaning, writing an essay, or doing something important, then put on silent mode or turn off your phone and other devices (TV, set-top box, etc.) that may be distracting you. Modern technology can rightly be called the main distraction of our society, as the presence of constantly ringing, noisy and flickering devices really interferes with our concentration.

Pause the music. If you need to get down to business seriously, then work in silence and do not occupy your thoughts with anything else. Our consciousness is naturally fixated on melodies, rhythms and words. Music can inspire and speed up the passage of time, but due to the subconscious perception of the song, we limit our ability to focus, even if we ourselves do not realize it.

• Listen to music after completing a project or while doing simple mechanical tasks.

1. Choose the best place to work. If you work from home or are creative, then choose a place where you feel comfortable spending a lot of time. It could be a corner table, a sunny room with good lighting, or your favorite coffee shop. It is important to create an atmosphere in which it is easier for you to do business.

   • Beware of conditions that might dull your attention otherwise. People often associate spaces with a familiar use case, so it's not surprising to fall asleep while working in a quiet bedroom.

2. Make sure no one will distract you. Try to shield yourself from people when you need to complete an important project that requires concentration. Settle in a place where you will not be disturbed by other people. For example, if you work in an office, closed doors will tell employees not to disturb you. Sometimes this is not possible if you have to share a room with other employees, clients or children, but at least try to cut off all non-urgent interactions.

   • Organize your duties in the most efficient and logical sequence so that you don't get distracted from the current task.
   • Try wearing headphones, even when there's nothing playing, to look busy and not in the mood for fleeting conversations.

   How to Ignore Distractions

   1. Notice when you are distracted. If you reach for your phone to read new messages or open a browser page that is not related to work, then stop such impulses in the bud. To deal with common distractions, you need to learn to notice them. Practice deliberately resisting distractions and silently repeat phrases like “focus” or “this is not the time to do this” when your attention begins to wander. Follow the course of your thoughts so as not to be distracted from reality.

      Don't hesitate. Teach yourself to get started on time. Procrastination is a major distraction. We are able to convince ourselves that it is better to complete a task when we are better prepared for it. It's important to understand this: you can't do anything unless you start right now, so don't put it off until later.

      • Procrastination is an infantile way of thinking, our attempt to avoid responsibility for the sake of momentary pleasure.
      • Research shows that people who get started right away are more successful than those who keep putting it off.

   2. Use intentional concentration. Sometimes you need to actively remind yourself of the need to focus. Often people do not know how to maintain concentration and think only about the upcoming business. Cut off all mental distractions that can divert attention to other tasks. It is not enough just to be aware of the need to concentrate; make an effort to think only about the current task.

      • You can remind yourself that the best way to get things done is to focus your efforts right now. Start seeing the process of completing a particular task from start to finish, then move on to the next task until you've completed everything for the day.

   3. Move away from the source of distractions. Try to move away from the source of distractions that impair your mental abilities. Pack up all the things you need to work and move to a public library or a quiet cafe where you can continue to do business. Isolate yourself to literally get away from aspects that you can't ignore. If there is not enough strength to resist temptation, then sometimes you can escape.

      How to improve work efficiency

      1. Set aside specific time to work. Determine when you are productive and start planning things for those times. If you are an early riser, then do things in the morning until you lose motivation. Owls can be divided between their usual work hours and free time at night when the rest are already asleep. In fact, most of us are only able to focus for a few hours a day, so make the most of that time.

         • Make it a habit to work at the same time every day.
         • If you have a non-standard or floating schedule, then let others know that you are busy.

      2. Do the most important tasks first. It is important to have a clear idea of ​​what needs to be done in order to start with the most difficult tasks. This approach allows you to cope with at least the most important cases. Competently prioritize to finish minor things with minimal effort and time. The anxiety caused by the mountain of unfinished business will soon go away.

         Determine the minimum list of tasks for the day. Set yourself one or two goals for each day, and do not look with fear at all the work ahead. Goals should be small and achievable. Sometimes it's hard to force yourself to go outside and start building a fence around your yard if you only think about how much time, effort and money it will take. If you decide that today you need to dig holes for supports, and tomorrow you need to install them, and so on, then the task ahead will not seem so daunting.

      • Use a diary or notepad to plan your daily tasks and notice when you're most productive.
      • Set your own deadlines. For example, say to yourself, "I have to finish this project by the end of the week." Many people find it easier to force themselves to act when there is a specific deadline.
      • Watch your nutrition. Maintain the right blood sugar levels to stay alert, increase self-organization, attention to detail and get energy for the current affairs. Remember to have breakfast in the morning and fortify yourself every few hours with nutritious foods and a variety of snacks.
      • Learn to change priorities if you have a lot of things to do.
      • Reward yourself for projects completed and goals achieved.
      • Do not forget that the tendency to get distracted to the sides depends on your level of mental concentration.

      Warnings

      • Distractions are always present. Learn to ignore them, otherwise you will never be up to the task ahead.
      • It is not always possible to turn off electronic devices. If you need to always answer calls, use a tablet or computer, you should work on personal discipline to use devices for their intended purpose.

Are you constantly distracted by all sorts of nonsense, and then you can’t get into a working rhythm for a long time? Let's talk about how to quickly immerse yourself in the process so that nothing gets in the way, and most importantly - there is no desire to break away from the task.

Divide a big task into smaller ones

“Sometimes you procrastinate just because you don’t know how to approach a huge mammoth. You cut it into pieces - it becomes clear how to "swallow" them. It's cool to have some kind of tool like Wunderlist to divide a big task into small ones, solve it quickly, and put ticks, ”advises Danil Brenner, architect of the web-development department of the System Technologies Group.

Delegate the Uninteresting

“It is better not to engage in those tasks that you do not like in advance - otherwise, very soon even the walls will seem interesting. If possible, it is better to immediately delegate such tasks to others, ”recommends Anton Borzenko, CTO CourseBurg.

If there is no opportunity to delegate, think about how solving this problem can be useful for you. Or maybe it’s worth automating the solution or optimizing something from above in order to completely miss the task?

Try Pomodoro

The method helps to concentrate better, keep the “freshness” of the mind and not be distracted by external stimuli. The classic Pomodoro use case:

1. Select a specific task.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on it all the time.
3. Take a break for 5 minutes. Return to point 1.
4. Every four such iterations, take a break for 25 minutes.

Denis Vorotnikov, lead web programmer at Mercaux Inc. emphasizes the need to completely isolate oneself from the outside world:

• put on headphones, telling colleagues to disturb only on very important issues and better in a corporate chat
• disable notifications of mail, instant messengers, social networks and similar distracting programs
• fully concentrate on the task at hand, without thinking about anything but it

Difficulties arise when urgent tasks suddenly appear. “At the same time, you should not give in to panic, immediately abandon the solution of the previous problem. Try to complete it first and only then move on to the next one, ”advises Boris Shestakov, BSS practice expert at AT Consulting.

If the standard rhythm of the technique doesn't suit you, don't worry. The main thing is to adapt it so that it benefits you. “This technique helps me get into a working rhythm. When those 25 minutes are up, I most often continue on with the same task. But such a mental kick in the ass to yourself is a good thing, ”shares Danil Brenner.

Switch context

Remove all unnecessary. Probably, the simpler and more effective the advice, the more often it is neglected. But this banality really works.

In addition, it is not difficult to protect yourself from irritants. For example, Windows 10 introduced many desktops that you can switch between. “I have an area where all chats hang. And when I start writing code, I don't look there. Context switching is very important,” says Danil Brenner.

Use the right soundtrack

If we are talking about music, then this is a controversial topic. Whether it will help or hinder depends on the mood, the noise around, the level of complexity of the task, and personal preferences. “I tried a lot, settled on special music for coding - Music to code by. Such good music, relaxed, it really costs money. The creator of this music says that he specifically analyzed what beat should be in order for you to concentrate as much as possible. Sometimes, however, you want something more energetic, like The Offspring, ”says Danil Brenner. To increase concentration, it is also recommended to listen to music from video games.

But moderate noise is useful for immersion in the workflow and solving creative problems. There's even a Noisli app that will help you combine different sounds to create the perfect background for you.

Books are an important part of our intellectual and personal development. It doesn't matter what media you use - paper or electronic. A well-read person absorbs and analyzes information faster, can use an impressive store of knowledge for work, his brain is like the trained muscles of an athlete.

But many cannot read long and carefully. They are distracted from the process by extraneous thoughts, noises, the habit of switching from one thing to another. To know how not to be distracted while reading, you need to learn how to read correctly. It's actually not that hard if you follow some rules.

1. Move from simple to complex. If the reader is distracted by extraneous thoughts and actions, this often serves as a signal that he simply has not yet made reading his daily habit. The brain doesn't like to be stressed. Therefore, when you try to force him to perceive information from the pages of a book, he immediately begins to diligently sabotage. It gives you tempting thoughts about interesting news in the social network feed, offers you to think about a future vacation or sleep ... And the more complex the text, the more actively the brain will try to “suck”.
   Therefore, you need to develop the habit of reading gradually. Start with light easy reading, popular fiction. Over time, you can move on to more complex texts. Reading time should also be increased gradually. At first it can be half an hour a day, then an hour, and then - and you yourself will not notice how you read all weekend, forgetting to eat and sleep.
2. Take a break before reading. You also need to be able to properly start a reading session. If you have just been engaged in some kind of complex mental activity, then for some time after the completion of the work you will return to it with your thoughts. The head should "cool down", thoughts lie down. Relax for 15-20 minutes, don't think about anything, listen to birdsong or calm music, take a walk with the dog or sit with a cup of tea in the garden, if there is one. Relax and complete the previous tasks, and then you will fully join the reading process.
3. Do not eat while reading and do not read while eating. I think this is understandable: if you do something at the same time, then neither one nor the second will really come out. This applies to all activities in general, so if you have the habit of combining several things at once, fight. Thoughts should be completely focused on what you are reading.
4. What to do if noise interferes? It often happens that it is not an internal monologue or confusion in thoughts that interferes with concentration, but objective external factors. Neighbors are watching TV, children are squealing in the yard, cars are driving in the street… Annoying sounds can be dealt with in many ways. First, remove. That is, try to minimize it - close the window, ask the neighbors not to make noise. And in the end, just plug your ears with earplugs. You can change the reading time by choosing for this part of the day when there is the least noise around. You can interrupt, for example, by turning on unobtrusive instrumental music. True, some music also interferes with reading, so this option is not suitable for everyone.
   But the most effective method is to learn to ignore the noise. To do this, you need to “turn off” your hearing, do not analyze the sounds reaching your ears. Focus completely on the text, think about the characters and the plot - and the noise will cease to be felt. It will take some effort to train yourself not to perceive external stimuli, but if you succeed, you will become a god of reading. You can read on the train, in the subway, in a cafe, and on the beach.
5. Force yourself to read. Our brain is a tool of knowledge. This is not an independent uncontrolled organism, but a part of you that you need to be able to subordinate to yourself. When the mind tries to captivate thoughts in a more pleasant and simple way or “chews” some emotions, then you just rush your eyes through the text without thinking about the meaning. So you can sit for a few minutes staring at a book. If the brain trick works, then you just put the volume aside.
   The brain does not want to read, it is lazy. Therefore, stop yourself, carefully look at the text and return to the place that you still read consciously. Re-read what you ran through your eyes, try to comprehend. Sometimes it happens that a paragraph has to be reread many times. But this is how you make it clear to your inner lazy person that cheating will not work, and that you will still force him to read everything in good faith. After a while, the habit of distracting from the text to the internal monologue will disappear, since repeated reading of the same place will work as a punishment effect.
6. Perhaps the problem is complex? Often the inability to focus on reading is just a symptom of a larger problem. It is called disorganization and lack of internal discipline. A person grabs at one thing, he quickly gets bored, he immediately takes on another, or even immediately for several things at the same time. This phenomenon is sometimes proudly called multitasking, but this lady with an exotic name is the twin sister of stupidity, and the main thing here is not to confuse.
   We'll have to think carefully - perhaps a person is distracted not only from reading, but also from work, and from household chores, and in general can’t really bring anything to the end? If this is about you, then you will have to seriously take up the organization of time and reshape your attitude to your own activities. Learn to focus on one activity without being distracted by others and bring the work you have started to the end, work on setting goals and writing plans. But that's a completely different story...

The easiest way is to throw the book into the far corner and say: “Reading is not my forte!” But at the same time, remember that all rich and successful people read a lot, and not a single millionaire would prefer a TV or a computer game to a book. You just need to make a little effort to learn not to be distracted while reading, and then this activity will bring a lot of pleasure and benefit.

Even if you are very good at self-control, it can be very difficult for you to focus on work. Especially if you really don't want to. Unfortunately, even the smallest distraction can completely derail productivity. Here are ten tips to help you get started, especially when it's vital.

1. Plan your day

Each of us has certain hours when everything is given to us a little easier. Schedule the most important tasks so that they fall just at this time. I've also found that scheduling the day helps me get everything done and never forget anything. Whether it's a meeting reminder, deadline, or lunch.

2. Go full screen

We are not as versatile as we would like. And since it so happened that you have to work tirelessly, remove all possible distractions. Remove all unnecessary icons from the desktop and open in full screen, for example, a text document in which you are working. After all, the less superfluous you have in front of your eyes, the less likely it is that you will be distracted by something unnecessary.

3. Block or hide all distracting websites and apps

Parental controls are useful not only for naughty children. It will also come in handy for us, perpetually distracted adults. Is it difficult to be offline on Facebook while working? Remove links from your browser. Or even uninstall the app from your phone. You can also create a separate browser profile to work with. Or, if you need more drastic measures, you can use extensions like (Firefox) or (Chrome) to block distracting websites.

4. Turn off notifications on your smartphone

There are applications that cannot be uninstalled. For example, Gmail or corporate chat. For such applications, it is worth choosing a mode in the settings when all notifications are completely turned off. Try turning off email notifications. You don't have to check your mail when a new email arrives. At the very least, set a silent ringtone for these apps.

5. Track how you spend your time

Distraction can come in many forms. It's not always a waste of time on Facebook, playing games on your phone, or pictures of kittens, but the gist is always the same. Some tasks are less important than others. And if you spend more time on them than you should, they should be treated as distractions too. If you can't figure out where all your time is being spent, use time counters. Such as . It will show which sites you have visited, which applications you have used and how much time you have lost on each of them.

6. Keep distracting colleagues at a distance

Of course, many stimuli arise in the real world. If you work in an office, you are probably aware of how distracting colleagues can be. Just chatting, a lot of questions that can actually wait, and more. can show that you are working hard right now. And if that doesn't help, you can say directly that you're busy. Or load them up so they don't have the idea of ​​distracting you next time.

7. Save distractions for later

If you can't stop thinking about the things that distract you, then just put them aside for later. Keep "lazy" on a computer or phone. And write down things that distract you in this note. Then you can remember them and come back to them later.

8. Break down your tasks

It's very easy to get distracted or even avoid getting started when the task seems incredibly daunting. If you need to motivate yourself to work on a large project, then break the task into several smaller subtasks. It's much easier to force yourself to do a small, specific task. It's easier than jumping headfirst into one huge task. " " is great for this purpose if you have a handy timer.

9. Train your brain to focus

You can put in a huge amount of effort to get rid of distractions. But your brain can still be your worst enemy. So if your brain jumps from thought to thought while you work, you need to learn how to control it. The following advice may seem silly. But try it, it might help. Put on an elastic band around your wrist. Every time a distracting thought comes up, hit yourself with this rubber band. Let the brain develop a habit that you can not be distracted.

10. Don't overdo it: Distraction is a necessary part of being productive.

Distraction at the wrong time can be detrimental to the performance of a task. But that doesn't mean we have to be focused 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Distractions are vital to a healthy lifestyle. It also stimulates creative thinking. Research has shown that browsing the web at work can help you be more productive at work. But only if you did it at the right time.

So instead of allowing your brain to wander off while doing an important task, set a time in your daily plan for your brain to rest. This will give you not only the opportunity to relax, but also increase productivity. After all, your brain will rush to complete the task in order to get a rest as soon as possible.