Becoming more focused on your tasks is as much a matter of changing your inner state as it is one of removing obstacles.
Sadly, we rarely notice when we are being distracted. Sure, the kind of distractions when someone is being loud or obnoxious will get noticed, but what about the little distractions that occur all day, that take up all of our precious time? Distractions that we enjoy is the true enemy of productivity. In essence, we can talk about two kinds of distractions:
Those that are visible
For example someone who is bothering you with a lengthy (and uninteresting) discussion during your ‘official working time’. It doesn’t take too long to realize that each and every “cell in your body” will consider this to be highly disturbing.
Those that are invisible
The other, more pernicious, forms of distractions relate to those things that are not necessarily picked up by ‘our internal distraction radar’. This type is obviously much worse than the previous one. For one thing, you can always notify the person who is distracting you that you are occupied at the moment, but how on earth do you plan to rid yourself from a distraction that you’re not even aware of in the first place?
These distractions include excessive browsing, streaming, social media – the usual suspects, but also long-winded discussions during the coffee breaks (if the coffee break is longer than the working session, it’s not a break my friend, it’s your main activity). All of these activities distract you from your main goal and should therefore be considered an enemy of the state.
Obviously, the most ideal situation would be to refrain from “falling down the rabbit hole” as soon as you realize that you are drifting away into an unhealthy long diversion from your main tasks. This is not to say to avoid breaks, they are paramount for your well-being and mental sanity, as long as you make sure it’s an actual break.
If you still find yourself having trouble concentrating even once all distractions have been removed; well, then you may be working yourself too hard. Try exercising for a while or taking a walk to get rid of all that nervous energy.
