The Distraction Epidemic: Tips to Improve Focus & Take Back Control
Picture this…
You’re in the middle of writing that important Email when you’re phone rings. You feel your fingers typing faster trying to finish before you miss the call, but you won’t make it in time so inevitably, you pick up the call. In the middle of the phone call, you hear an Inbox notification ding. Your mind feels like a ping pong ball trying to keep it all straight! You finish the call, check your Email, but then suddenly your phone is vibrating. You fumble top pick it back up and see the reminder that has popped-up. You feel your stress level and frustration on the rise as you open the reminder on your phone, but before you can even read it, another ding…it’s a text message alert!
If you find that your mind is wandering and that you are often distracted and rarely present, you’re not alone. In fact, during the pandemic, Google saw a 300% increase in this search question: How do I get my brain to work?
The distraction epidemic (thank you technology) is something we are all too familiar with.
The Harvard Business Review reports that the average worker is interrupted 50-60 times a day, with 80% of those interruptions being unimportant. Couple that with a University of California Irvine study showing that it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back on task and well…there goes the day!
So in this world full of distraction, how are we supposed to “get our brain to work” and stay present and focused?
Focus on what you can control.
The good news is that we have the power and the control to proactively eliminate some of the distractions in our lives, especially when it comes to technology.
Here are 5 quick tips to help eliminate technology distractions in your day to day.
Out of sight, out of mind – Put distance between you and your cell phone (or other distracting technology). Intentionally make the choice to put your phone where you can’t see it - in another room, in a drawer, on top of the fridge, in your purse. Remove the visual cue that pulls your eyes, and therefore your mind, away from the task at hand.
Turn off notifications – All of them. Use your technology. Do not let it use you by dinging, pinging, vibrating, popping up, or anything else as a distractor.
Use it or lose it - Be intentional with your time, energy, and attention. They are your most valuable assets. If you have set time aside to respond to Emails, keep only your Email browser open. Close the rest. If you are working on a project, close all the browser windows that do not apply to that project work so that you improve the probability of focusing on the task at hand.
Take a break – According to a nationally representative survey of 3,217 adults on Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel, 31% of cell phone users report never turning off their cell phones and 45% report rarely turning it off. Hello distraction! To avoid distractions, put your phone on airplane mode. Or, better yet, try taking a break all together by turning off your phone.
Set and embrace boundaries – According to Rescue Time, “the average knowledge worker checks in on Email and Instant Messaging every 6 minutes.” This act of constant context shifting results in reduced efficiency as well as mental fatigue. Set boundaries. These could include checking Email as well as Instant Messaging at set intervals in your day (morning, lunch, and end of day) and setting up an auto reply text message on your phone letting others know you are investing your time elsewhere at the moment but you will get back to them.
The next time you notice your mind wandering because a distraction has grabbed your attention, acknowledge it (and give yourself kudos for being aware enough to notice it!), and then make a different choice.
You have the power. It’s time to take back control of our lives and use technology instead of letting it use us.