Getting Things Done in a World of Peak Pace and Massive Distractions
Have you ever wondered how easy it is to wander away and lose focus while trying to work?
If you’ll agree with me, it’s often always a hell of a job trying to manage distractions and stay focused at work.
It just happens that we are bombarded with a lot of things that can easily rob you of your attention and focus.
As hard as it seems, it turns out there are still some ways you can get yourself to focus on the work at hand.
Too many distractions will hamper productivity and that’s the last thing you want.
So, how exactly do I plan to help you contain distractions,
here we go!
- Getting Things Done in a World of Peak Pace and Massive Distractions
- How To Stay Focused at Work – Let me tell you a part of my own story!
- How To Stay Focused at Work – Writing my morning journal
- Writing down my weekly small steps
- How To Stay Focused at Work – Making a monthly plan
- It is fine to be distracted sometimes
- How To Stay Focused at Work – I plan my distraction time
- Second Period of the Day
- Finding the Balance Between Input and Output
- Fixed Appointments for Physical Activities in Your Weekly Schedule
- Don’t allow play to continue to interfere with work
How To Stay Focused at Work –
Let me tell you a part of my own story!
You see, it actually feels kind of challenging for me staying focused on building the next pieces for this blog.
I set my personal goal which was to get at least 100,000 visitors per month on this blog in the next 3 years.
It just happens that there are so many things to do, so much stuff to research about and so many things to learn, improve and experiment with.
I found myself somehow stretched, busy and stuck in between the following things:
- answering emails
- answering Facebook messages
- answering Fiverr requests and messages
- answering Whatsapp messages and watching videos from friends
- researching different themes about building my blog related to;
- SEO
- Facebook ads
- creating a compelling landing page
- building an email list
- creating emails to engage with my readers
- revise my free coaching guide, and
- a whole lot more…
That’s not even all!
I also recently finished the audiobook of Gary Vaynerchuk – Crushing It!
This, by the way, felt so great and motivating.
If you are interested in entrepreneurship and online business I highly recommend you also listen to it.
It was a difficult thing trying to find my feet to stay focused and get real things done.
I realized then that I have to once draw into the strategies that always served me so well in getting focused again and getting things done effectively.
This made a great difference, no doubt.
If you’re wondering what exactly my secrets are, I’ve outlined them below.
You should consider trying these out too if you’re finding it difficult to manage distractions and stay focused to improve your output and productivity.
- Writing my morning journal
- Writing down my weekly small steps
- Making a monthly plan
How To Stay Focused at Work – Writing my morning journal
Waking up every morning, I’ll always write down the following things;
- I’m thankful for
- 1
- 2
- 3
- What would make this day wonderful
(In this section I also write down my goals for the day)
- Positive Self-Affirmations
(They are the medicine that gets me through the most difficult challenges)
Thanks to the 6-Minute Diary!
Writing down my weekly small steps
On every other weekend too, I’ll always write down the small steps I want to accomplish in the following week.
This has also proven to be a great way for me to manage distractions and stay focused.
How To Stay Focused at Work – Making a monthly plan
At the beginning of each month too, I’ll make a monthly plan for those things I want to accomplish the following month.
I then try to break down every task into smaller steps so they are as concrete and realistic as possible.
You see, I never plan longer than a month in advance.
That way, it seems much easier to keep my goals and visions in mind.
One would think this would solve all of the problems but even when I follow these steps, I still feel distracted and stretched at times.
But that is not all bad;
It is fine to be distracted sometimes
What I do is try to get a balance in my head.
In our fast and distracting world, it would be absolutely abnormal not to feel distracted and stretched sometimes. At times, I really don’t fight it. So I just tell myself that it is ok to be distracted sometimes.
To give me this permission is in itself a kind of relief.
Related: Where Focus Goes Energy Flows – 9 Facts Checklist
How To Stay Focused at Work – I plan my distraction time
Another helpful technique I used was to plan my distraction time.
I found it really helpful when I split the day into two phases.
- The first is a focused working period where I’m laser-focused and getting my tasks done.
- Then a period where I work on requests from outside and have time for research and input
This initial period is not longer than 2 to 3 hours. I start with this at the beginning of each day. This is because I found myself to have the most energy and creativity during this point in time.
I can write all the way through the morning when my mind is clear, and there are no distractions.
-Karen Thompson Walker
Until I finished this period I don’t look at my phone. I just switch it into flight mode in the evening.
I also don’t look in my email program or other sources of distraction.
Come to think of it, phones are perhaps the biggest distraction you’ll have.
With this in check, your aim to manage distractions and stay focused will be a little much easier.
I shut down social media because I needed to shut out online distractions and engage with the people, issues, and work right in front of me. -Kelly Evans
If I finished my most important tasks for the day, only then am I allowed to start my second period of the day.
Second Period of the Day
Related: 7 Best Focus Coaches & Ultimate Guide
I call these the reaction and research time.
Most times, I find myself anticipating this second part of the day.
This is probably because I’m curious what messages and emails I got and also because of my curiosity and interest to research new things about psychology and new strategies about internet marketing.
Somehow this motivates me to get the first part done quickly and in high quality, because only then can the second part come.
So, what do you have to learn from here?
By working on one or two important tasks, I’m able to reduce chaos and distractions that can easily set it had I been working myself off on twenty different tasks.
With this strategy I stay focused at work.
I’m able to do this as quickly as possible. This has proven very helpful in my case and for you, it will greatly help you to manage distractions and stay focused.
Finding the Balance Between Input and Output
On the other hand, tracking my input/output ratio has also proved very useful in helping me to manage distractions and stay focused.
One of my many goals in life is to give something back and influence people to the positive.
To reach this goal I watch closely how much I consume things on the internet in relation to which content I create and give out to the world community.
There is always the tendency that the internet will suck you in and in my own case, I could spend hours and days researching, listening to inspiring YouTube content and other similar things.
For sure that gives me more knowledge and motivation.
But it doesn’t help others. So,
I always try to make up for that much input by trying to balance this with a corresponding output.
Fixed Appointments for Physical Activities in Your Weekly Schedule
When things are getting super crazy my two weekly yoga classes, one on Monday and the other on Thursday evening helps me relax and calm down.
These two appointments in my week are religiously followed as if they’ve been carved in stone in my weekly schedule.
It doesn’t have to be yoga for you.
You can choose a sport you love which is physically ambitious.
You can also make two fixed appointments in your week too.
This will help you calm down in between the distractions and stay focused at work.
Related: 11 Strategies To Develop Absolute Focus
Don’t allow play to continue to interfere with work
There are a lot of ways that play may want to interfere with your work. This will no doubt be the greatest threat to your productivity and how to focus at work.
Separating your work area distinctly from other play areas will be a big step in the right direction.
If you’re able to find a distinct borderline between these, you’ll be giving your tendency to focus a great boost.
Among other things, these will be very important in helping you manage distractions and stay focused at work.
There are so many things running through your mind. If you can formulate a game plan that works for you and allows you to block outside distractions and get to what matters, that’s how the talent is able to come out. –Jake Arietta
If you are looking for further inspiring material on how to stay focused at work I recommend Darren Hardy’s – Living Your Best Year Ever.
Important Note
Every article I write is intended to help you with:
- questioning and reflecting your own view of the world
- understanding why you are looking at the world like you do
- finding different perspectives
- going on a meta-level and reflecting on the consequences of your view
However, with every sentence of writing, I create another view of how things “really are”.
Even if I do this with the best intentions, please examine critically if this construction of the reality is helpful for you as an individual person in your special situation.
