Getting rid of distractions and being more focused is super important, whether you work from home, in an office, or you just need to focus on doing some chores. We all have our own set of distractions and tasks that can be a time suck.
I don’t know about you, but I can get distracted pretty easily. It could be hopping from one task to the next before I finish the first, it could be getting sucked into a new blog post from one of my favorite bloggers, or it could be that new season of Fuller House just waiting for me on Netflix (don’t judge, we all have a little crush on Uncle Jesse). Then add in all the dings on my phone from social media notifications, emails, and texts it’s a miracle I can accomplish anything with my focus being broken a kazillion times a day.
Because of all the distractions and my need to work smarter, not harder, I’ve slowly started to cut the distractions and I’ve found some success in gaining more focus on the tasks I need to accomplish for my business, blog and even in my personal life. Since, I’m a working out of the home mama of 2 under 2, simplifying tasks and really focusing are even more crucial to being able to get it all done. Between the distractions I bring upon myself and the distractions the babies bring to me, having laser sharp focus especially when it comes to working on my business is crucial.
So here are 5 simple steps I’ve used to keep me focused on checking tasks off my to do list.
Turn Off Automatic Email Notifications
Everyone has email these days. And I’m going to just assume everyone gets email all day, every day. I can’t be the only one! I used to be one of those people who would check email on their phone half a dozen times times an HOUR because that’s how often my phone would beep to notify me of a new email. Instead of doing this I’ve found that either setting your phone to only check email when you open the app or, if you can handle it, taking email off of your phone completely has saved a lot of wasted energy
Remove distracting apps from phone
If you’re finding yourself grabbing your phone and looking at a certain app throughout the day then maybe it’s time to remove it from your phone. At least for a little while, not forever. One of my worst distractions is Facebook, I get lost in all the group conversations and those stupid little news stories that pop up. Every few weeks when I find myself extra distracted by it I will remove the app from my phone. Once I do this I’m always so surprised by how many times I grab my phone and try to visit Facebook. Then remember I uninstalled the app temporarily, then happily go about my business without wasting a good 15 minutes scrolling through my newsfeed. You’ll be surprised how many times you look at your phone for the most recent updates and how second nature it’s become to you.
Remember, it’s only temporary so don’t be too sad that you can’t scroll through your newsfeed. If there’s an app on your phone that you think might be taking up too much of your time and focus, try uninstalling it for a few days to see what happens. And if uninstalling that particular app from your phone seems a little too harsh (really who can live without Instagram?), turn off notifications and put the app icon in a folder within your phones desktop. It takes a little more work to find it, but it’s still there if you really really need to check out the world of Insta. By uninstalling or “hiding” the app that’s causing you so much distraction, you might find that you’ve gained more focus, and maybe accomplished a few things.
Close email when working
I used to have email open all day. But that became super distracting, because I was constantly checking my inbox to make sure there wasn’t anything new or pressing. If there were any new emails in my inbox, I felt the need to deal with them right then and there which caused me to lose focus on whatever task I was working on before. Keep your email closed while you’re working. In fact, quick little email tip here, try only checking your email once in the morning and once in the evening. Those set aside email times, can really help you focus knowing that whatever emails are waiting in your inbox will be there during the email checking part of the day. If it’s super urgent, the sender has other methods of contacting you. Honest, your inbox is not going to explode if you’re not always in there deleting and checking.
Set “Email Management” Times
As mentioned, check your email at certain points in the day. Instead of haphazardly all day. Chances are nothing urgent is going to come up that can’t wait a few hours. Try checking your email in the morning and in the evening. It’ll help you focus and not get sidetracked by replying to emails or using them as a to-do list when you’ve already got a to do list set up for the day.
And, if you're finding yourself super overwhelmed by your inbox, I offer Email Management Services, you can read more about my offerings on my Work with Me Page.
Inbox zero is NOT a fairy tale, I promise!
Time Blocking
Working in blocks of time is a great way to keep your mind focused. Try setting an alarm for 30 minutes and see how much work you can get done in those 30 minutes. During this blocked off time stay off social media (unless it’s for work) and Google, and don't meander around for a drink of water or a snack. Think about all that you can get done with half an hour of true uninterrupted focus.
Consolidate the little tasks
Think about all the things you do everyday? How many of them are really all that necessary? Maybe there are some things you can completely eliminate, or maybe there are things that you can schedule to do a few times a week instead of everyday. Like scheduling out your social media posts, brainstorming ideas for blog and social media content, or shooting/sourcing on brand images to go along with your content.
Hire a Professional
Perhaps, it’s time to consider hiring out some of those tasks that are just too time consuming but necessary to keep your business successful. A virtual assistant can help you get back your time so you can focus on what really needs your attention. Check out my services to see how I can help you. Or you can always shoot me an email, I’d love to chat about how I can help you achieve defrazzlement in your business.
There you have it, 7 easy steps to being less distracted and more productive. Turn off your email notifications, remove those distracting apps from your phone, close your email during those super focused times,speaking of being super focused schedule email checking time so your not tempted to glance at it every 10 minutes, set up a time blocking schedule where you only focus on one task for a set period of time, and , consolidate the little tasks.
And remember, there are always professionals willing to help you out, whether it be helping you achieve that coveted inbox zero or a little help in proofreading that post you wrote up in the haze of a 2AM brainstorm.