Effective Tips for Reducing Distractions and Improving Focus

There are always going to be distractions at work. They are unavoidable - coming from all sorts of different places: whether it’s a daydream or your phone is blowing up. Or you’re faced with a hard problem to solve so you go on your phone to check X (that’s what happens most often to me).  Even though there will always be these constant drains on our attention, there are ways we can set ourselves up to be as productive as possible, so that we can do the best work we can and so that we end up being able to live life outside of the office without the nagging outstanding tasks we have to do bothering us. 

Tame your tabs

The first tip to help minimize distractions is simple, and effective: limit the number of open tabs on your screen. Just like how a clean office and set up has a positive effect on your mood and your work, the same principle should be applied digitally. We all know the pain of having so many tabs open that you can only see the icon of the website - and you inevitably click into the wrong tab. Do that one time, and there’s a distraction. But by being intentional with the number of tabs you have open, you can minimize the chances you get distracted from something you’ve already completed. A small trick would be to just clean up your tabs at the beginning of every hour!

Embrace the interruption

Second, since distractions will happen regardless of how we set up our office or screen, we should learn how to deal with them when they occur. There will always be calls that you don’t expect but should answer, or friends who stop by your office while they’re walking by. Instead of giving them half of your attention and screwing up two things at once - shift all of your focus to the distraction. Then, you can give the person “distracting” you all of your attention, because they deserve it. That way, you can effectively communicate with whoever stopped by or called you - and anyone deserves at least a few seconds of your time just because they are human.

Optimize your physical environment

Finally, you need to set yourself up for success. There are certain people who are able to focus in situations with lots of noise, but in general the quieter and cleaner a workplace is, the better. People have varying degrees of how much they perceive going on around them - just like how certain people notice every time someone walks into a restaurant and others don’t - but regardless of how perceptive you are, you do notice things - and these are a drain on attention. Attention at a single moment is not something you can generate more of: you have 100% of your attention you can give to things (but you can learn to be able to make that 100% more effective - over time). The more of that attention you can give to something, the quicker you will be able to accomplish that task, and one of the easiest ways of accomplishing this is having a workspace whose physical characteristics set you up for success.

Remember, distractions can actually be helpful!

Distractions are actually a really important thing to have throughout your workday. They spice up the day, and they are a natural indicator that you should take a rest. It’s true that we always want to push ourselves to grow and be better workers, but at the same time, we should respect our natural limits. Just like there are times when you need sleep, there are times throughout the day you need a break to be effective for the rest of the day.