Distractions are a cause of major stress for many of us. These leads take our attention away from what matters like our work and family. Distractions can even cause us to miss out on opportunities and important moments and opportunities. When we miss out on these things, we end up feeling pressure, anxiety, sadness, and stress. This battle becomes a cycle when we’re led by outside influences. The key to avoiding all of this is focus. Let’s take a look at some ways to cut distractions in order to promote happiness, peace and focus.
Go Offline
It’s no surprise that one of the biggest distractions is digital. Email, social media, and texting can be hard to ignore. You immediately answer when you get a notification. You might also feel like you need to be constantly checking in on the outside world through Facebook or Instagram.
While technology can be great, it can also take away a lot, such as productivity and meaningful moments. Limiting the time you spend online each day can help you avoid distractions. Try this- check your email and social media accounts only two or three times during the workday. Remove your phone from the room completely if you’re having trouble.
Try a social media detox to help you get offline and enjoy the real world again!
Try these tips to stay on track:
Set Small Deadlines
Set some small deadlines for yourself that you should stick to. This can help improve your focus by challenging you to beat the clock. Seeing an end to your task and working toward it, makes it seem easier to get started and to remain in the flow. You’ll be more productive this way. Setting the clock for an hour should be a good guideline, but each task might require its own deadline in order to be effective.
Break it Down
If you have a big task, breaking it up into smaller chunks can help you tackle the entire job. This also helps make your job seem so much more manageable. You’ll gain the inspiration and motivation necessary to keep going when you feel you are facing a difficult goal, rather than an impossible feat.
Move Yourself
Sometimes rather than removing distractions such as your cellphone from your presence, you’ll need to remove yourself from the source of what’s distracting you.
For example, if you work from home and find yourself frequently distracted by household chores or your favorite television program, it would be a good idea to find another space to focus on work. Head to a coffee shop or library to get things done. Sometimes this also works when you simply need a change of scenery to escape the distractions of your own mind or your mental blocks.
Removing distractions can help you focus your attention on better, more important things. The next time you’re feeling distracted, ask yourself what’s most important right now? Where should my attention be directed? You’ll be on your way of changing the habit of distraction and on to happiness and peace of mind!
