An easy way to beat distraction

How to focus and get more done

We all know that it’s important to focus. We also know that this is easier said than done. When you work in an office, colleagues can stop by to chat, or you can be pulled out of deep work by other people’s conversations. At home, you can add children, partners, and pets to the mix, to say nothing of your neighbor’s lawnmower or leaf blower, or the time necessary to direct the guys who stop by to deliver wood chips for mulching to your driveway

You probably can’t do much about your neighbor’s 10 am leaf blowing. But let’s face it. Those aren’t the only distractions. I just saw my phone sitting on my desk next to me. I picked it up and checked my inbox too. Nothing urgent, which isn’t surprising, since I was in there 15 minutes ago.

Then there are the distractions that seem productive.You know, like moving the laundry over to the dryer, or taking meat out of the freezer for dinner. Or even finding that statistic your colleague was looking for.

And yes, these things do need to happen at some point. But if you’ve been fortunate enough to carve out a spot of time without anyone asking for anything, or the neighbor raring that leaf blower, you definitely don’t want to distract yourself.

So, do two things.