In this digital age, there is distraction everywhere. From YouTube to Facebook, websites are made to keep you on the site and stop you from doing something more productive.
But how do you eliminate distraction in a world full of distraction?
I’m answering this question in this article.
The Plan
- Set proper goals
- Pinpoint the distractions
- Gradually remove them through the 5 Methods
- Use another method to retain your distraction-free life
Set Proper Goals
Set goals that you want to achieve once you remove the distractions in your life. It may be to be more productive in your work, or to finish homework earlier to do things you like. Whatever it is, set a goal so that you have something to work towards.
If something like Facebook is keeping you from doing enough study for exams, your goal is to study more for exams.
It’s that simple: what is the distraction holding you back from?
Be careful not to make very ambitious goals because it can be overwhelming and stop you from reaching it altogether.
Pinpoint the Distractions
It’s logical to know what distraction you have before trying to eliminate them. But this is the step that many miss out on, wondering why they are still unproductive after blindly eliminating random distractions.
A lot of the time there are many distractions that are holding you back from achieving your goal. Make sure to identify each of them before moving onto the next step.
Gradually Remove the Distractions
Start small and gradually remove the distractions one by one. If you become to ambitious and attempt to remove all of them at the same time, you won’t succeed and will lose motivation. Slowly does it.
There are five methods to removing a distraction.
- If it is electronic, block the site/app completely (Screen Time is a feature in iOS for this, Freedom.to is a paid service that blocks apps and websites of your choosing)
- Use a streak-based system where every day you don’t get distracted by the thing you add a day to your streak. Putting some pressure on yourself is a great way to remove distraction.
- Adding an extrinsic award; for example, eat something nice. Don’t make your award be doing a bit of the distraction itself; so if your distraction is Youtube, don’t make your award watching one video of Youtube.
- Move away from the source of your distraction; for example if your phone is distracting you, either shut it down, or do something away from screens completely.
- Create a schedule for your day. This will motivate you to start and finish all the things you planned to do, and veer you away from distractions. Time-blocking is a great technique for scheduling.
Use another method to retain your distraction-free life
This is a vital step that you must remember. After removing all distraction from your life, it’s very common to go back to getting distracted, even if you’ve made productivity a habit.
A way to overcome this is to remember to use the five methods above every day. You might think, ‘I don’t need this anymore’ but it’s needed for you to retain your distraction-free life.
If you accidentally get distracted, don’t stress. It happens to even the most disciplined people, and you should just move on. Stressing could just lead to losing motivation and leaving your productive habits completely.
Take rest days sometimes and let yourself have fun. This is important to prevent you from burning out or becoming a robot (just kidding!). You need days where you don’t hold yourself back from fun things for the sake of productivity. It may seem counter-intuitive, but taking rest days actually increases productivity.
Final Words
So, here’s the end for the ways to remove distraction in your life. Keep following the 5 methods and you will lead a more productive life. Don’t be too hard on yourself, have some fun sometimes!
Good Luck!
Luca
