Everyone gets distracted. We’re wired to. Those of us who weren’t didn’t get to pass their genes along. Everyone can be sucked into procrastination mode, even if you really love what you do. (Which is why you should schedule your way around that.) It’s going to happen. Here’s two techniques I’ve recently found that, counter-intuitively, seem to eliminate my fixation on whatever is distracting me:
1. Close your eyes. Breathe. Focus on your breath. How the air passes through your nostrils, in through your nose. Past your throat. Try to notice every detail. Feel your chest expand. Listen to the sounds your body makes as your lungs fills with air. Exhale. Repeat, committing all of your focus to every aspect of your breath. This should take about 10 seconds, though you can stretch it out if what you really need is a mental break.
2. Focus on your toes. (Note that this is pretty tough to do without mentally sweeping all the way through your body, starting with your head. That’s sort of the point.) What are they doing? What are they feeling? Move them, wiggle them, touch them if you want. How does it feel? This only takes a few seconds, but it gets you very focused on the physical sensations you’re experiencing, and it pulls you right out of whatever was distracting you.
Either one of these techniques will rip you away from whatever it was you were distracting yourself with, and remind you to focus on what you want to accomplish. I’ve found them to be pretty effective to get me back on track. If you’re more prone to constant distraction, you may consider a plaque, or a post-it, or some form of digital reminder to be useful.
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It is very important to stay focused when you work on something important and want (or have to) do your best. Thank you for the methods which will work everywhere. But if you work at a computer, there is the automatic time tracker that can help you to stay focused and avoid distractions. We’ve developed CrocoTime to help people work more efficiently and see how they spend their time.