Are you the type of person who is always on their phone, checking their emails, and can’t live a day without not acting on that impulse? We all are. We all get distracted. It’s easy to stop what you’re doing for a few minutes to send a message, check your email, or surf the internet, but what started for a few minutes went on for hours. We don’t notice that we are always attracted to something as simple as opening our phones. Digital distractions are not uncommon; they can harm your daily tasks, reducing your productivity and rendering your reading or working habits ineffective.
We are here to help! Some tips and tricks can help you break this cycle of negative technology habits and help you concentrate on what’s important to you. This article shares tools to encourage you to decrease distractions and set a routine that will make you more productive.
How Digital Distractions Affect Your Focus
The world is distracting us with news, Facebook posts, Instagram stories, emails, and texts; however digital distractions are limitless. Digital distractions affect our daily lives more than you might think.
Common Digital Distractions
- Surfing the internet
- Posting a story on social media
- Checking your email and filtering it
- Texting
- Video and voice calling
- Finding any excuse to not work
- Boredom
- Randomly looking at your photo album on your phone
The list goes on.
10 Ways to Deal With Digital Distractions
Sometimes we don’t notice when we spend most of our time on our phones or laptops rather than getting our work done, studying for a huge exam, or even spending time with our families and friends. If you are tired of not knowing how to be more present, these ten tips and tricks will get you to what you need.
1. Create a schedule
Many people work better with a to-do list, but not all. However, if you are a person who works more productively when you make one, do so. Start your day with a list of things and tasks you need to get done for the day. Every time you finish a task, check it out. It’ll motivate you to finish off that list, and you won’t get distracted.
2. Prioritize the important things
Value your time. Is it more important to surf the internet for hours or complete your work task? There is a time for a quick break, and there’s a time for productivity. There’s no need to stay up to date with the latest movies and entertainment, or play your favorite game to blow off some steam. You can do that in your free time, not when you need to get things done.
3. Reward yourself
A good idea is to set a timer for each task you are working on. Once that timer goes off, reward yourself with some “you” time. Go outside your working space and take a walk to clear your mind. This tip will make you eager to finish your task so you can do whatever you want after. Do this until you finish your task, it’ll work.
4. Listen to instrumental music to stay focused
If you are a music lover, this one’s for you. Choose your favorite beats and work. This will give you some background noise to help you stay focused and boost your creativity. However, if you’re not the type who can concentrate with so much noise, try listening to instrumental music. It’ll zone you out.
5. Organize your notifications to switch off when you’re busy
Put your smartphone devices on mute when you are working. Your devices will no longer interrupt you when you’re working. If you turn off all of your notifications then you won’t be distracted when you get a notification on your phone or laptop; tempting you to check.
6. Unsubscribe from everything
Check your emails and messages to unsubscribe from anything that you think might distract you while you work. Yes, that includes everything you’re interested in. This trick will help you not be tempted to check those notifications.
7. Make a promise to yourself
One of the best tips here is to make a pact with yourself to stay focused while working, creating a schedule, managing your time, and keeping up with it. List the most important tasks first that have upcoming due dates and let the rest follow. This trick will encourage you to finish all your tasks and when you do you will feel accomplished.
8. Schedule your social media posting
If you work in digital marketing then scheduling your weekly posts and stories are the way to go. No more setting alarms to post, you can use social media applications to schedule everything for you so it automatically posts. A good application to use is Insta Post but you can also use Instagram’s native tool or one of the 24 apps here.
9. Set rules for the outside world
Make sure you send a message to your family and friends that you are going to be unavailable for a couple of hours (or however time you need). If they need you they can contact your assistant or call you. Set your emergency phone number list so that you can only receive calls from them.
10. Just zone out
If you feel like your brain is going to explode and you need a release, try mediating. Taking a couple of minutes to yourself to center will boost your energy and help you focus. Yoga is a good way to clear your mind, try these exercises below and let us know what you think.
Most people agree that digital distractions are controlling their lives. The solutions we’ve provided should help you train your mind and help you focus on what’s really important in your work and personal life. Make lists of what you need to accomplish during the day, so you could have free time to hangout with your family and just live your life.
