How to Stay Focused in an Increasingly Distracting World

Absentmindedly, you reach for your phone. You open your favorite app. Nothing has changed since you last did this 10 minutes ago, but you kind of forgot that you'd just done this. So, you open a different app… but you were just there, too. Does this sound familiar? 🫣

Sometimes, we convince ourselves we're being super productive by staying up to date with the latest news and happenings on social media and responding to emails immediately. The reality of the matter, though, is that you are distracting yourself from bigger things.

When you're at work, your focus should be on work. When you're at home, your focus should be on your home life. It’s time to take back control. 

Here are a few ways to consider helping you to stay focused in an increasingly distracting world.

No More Notifications

Open your phone settings right now and go in and turn off notifications. You don't need an update about who sent what Tweet yesterday, but it's time for you to see it now. You don't need a constant stream of distressing news updates breaking your focus. Check your social media at set times, do the same for email, and ignore it the rest of the time.

Think about it…these notifications can lead us into a pit or a place of working hard, getting nothing done. All the brain power is sucked in by the distraction. Don’t give up your goals by letting the news cycle take you somewhere you don’t want to go.

A Healthy Routine

You can improve your focus by establishing a healthy daily routine. When you set your routine and get used to it, you don't have to waste time thinking about what comes next. It's why people like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg wore the same outfit. You say, “But Brian, that’s boring…and I say to you that many occupations require a “uniform.” Think Disney, a hotel or restaurant, a boat captain…ha!

All I am saying here is to find a rhythm and make it work for you so you can get to work! :)

Prioritize

What does your day look like? What is on your to-do list? The best way to avoid distractions is to rank your tasks in order of priority. It can be overwhelming when you think about everything you need to do. Put them in the order you remove the stress and overwhelm. I know, I know, this sounds so easy, right? If you are anything like me, I find myself haggling with myself about what is the priority.

What I have recently done to overcome that is count to ten (or a number you want) to myself and make the darn choice. Usually, I find that I do both, but I can waste time by getting frozen at what should be the “right” priority! Avoid this for the good of mankind! 

Say No to Multitasking

Are you a multitasker? If yes, are you good at it? If yes, you're wrong. Sorry. Your attempt at multi-tasking is slowing you down, reducing your productivity, and you're not doing each task as well as you could be. By multitasking, you contribute to distractions.

Mic drop! 🎤

Seriously, think about a time over the last week where you got a bunch of open loops but none of them tied down. This is the allure of multitasking, but it's false. 

It ain't what the cool kids do…the cool kids get their work done!

Renew

When your schedule is going haywire, when the world is throwing distractions in your face, it's difficult to take a moment for yourself. However, renewal is vital. As your energy dips, memory is fading, and you can feel the stress creeping in, it is important that you withdraw from that and take time to regenerate.

I read a book in 2019 called Rest. It really changed my mind and understanding of how important rest is for us to know, live, and love our purpose. We don’t have to be at the grind all the time. In fact, It’s just not possible. When we become a workaholic, we lose out on the joy of work and the joy of life.

Work is a part of life…a big one, however, it will not renew us like rest. Don’t miss it. If you do, you will miss out on work, too.

What do you think?

Consider sharing your thoughts and ideas about this busy world and how to harness our limited energy to know, live, and love our life purpose!

In addition, I love what inspirational speaker, Jim Rohn, has said about being fully committed to the present helping us all to mitigate distraction damage. Check out the YouTube video below:

📺 📺 How To Master the Art of Time Management | Jim Rohn