Several things can sabotage your concentration. If you want to change this, the first step is to figure what really steals your attention.
If you are not sure, try a time tracker like RescueTime: it tells you how much time you spend in a given app or on each website you visit. You’ll be surprised to discover how your day goes by.
If the distraction comes from your own computer (excessive emails, news websites, social network notifications), you can:
1. Go full screen: A simple way to avoid seeing unnecessary apps.
2. Block or hide websites and apps: Just go to your settings or parental control.
3. Silence excessive notifications: That works for emails too. You don’t need to check every single time a new email comes in, right?
If the distraction comes from your cell phone, you can also adjust its settings. Or make it silent while you’re working. Or even schedule specific times for when you’re “allowed” to check what’s going on.
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If what gets your attention comes from somewhere else – construction work outside the window, or your dog barking in the kitchen – you can always use a pair of headphones and try one of the apps we mentioned in our curated list blog post.
Good news: You don’t have to be 100% focused 100% of the time. No one can do that. In fact, if you look it up, you’ll find many studies defending that distraction and procrastination are vital to a healthy living. Even more, you’ll learn that they encourage creative thinking.
Just don’t use that information against your own productivity! Schedule your day, work on your to-do lists, allow yourself the breaks you need and feel great by the end of the day.
