Writing, Distractions, Productivity

Causes of Lack of Focus

Most days, I can focus well even if there are a lot of noises and distractions all around me.  Today wasn’t one of those days.

For one thing, I had a lot to accomplish at work.  For another, I have a number of personal stressors to manage: illness in the family, kids’ activities, a teen learning to drive. Even small things, like the jury duty summons I received in the mail. It’s as if all these are rattling around in my head at the same time

Add to that a desire to work on my poems or finish drafting a blog post, and my productivity seems to have dropped into low gear. I’m like the computer loaded with more programs than it can efficiently run.  Something is getting done, but only with maximum effort, and not rapidly.

At this point, even one more thing in my way — papers scattered on my desk, an empty pop can, the stapler that I know needs to be refilled with staples — can reduce my minimal forward progress to zero.

How I Combat Lack of Focus

I manage lack of focus in one of several ways:

• Power thru it.  Tough it out until I am immersed enough in something I am doing that the ability to focus becomes natural again.
• Give up on big tasks and concentrate on checking off the little mindless tasks that eat up my focus and have to be done eventually.
• Do whatever I can to control my environment in order to get as quiet a frame of mind as possible.
• Give it all up and go take a nap or a walk.

Experts in productivity will tell you there’s a hierarchy here, and you should never do those little mindless tasks if it results in you procrastinating on more important tasks.  While I generally agree with that statement, I think you have to admit that there are times when you are just too ineffective to do anything else.   In that case, you will feel better if you get those minor tasks out of the way.

Dealing with Distractions: Controlling My Workspace

Today, powering through distractions didn’t work for me, and it wasn’t really an option to shift my efforts over to my mindless task list.  Taking a nap or a walk was also off the table.

That left battening down the hatches, so to speak.  Controlling my environment to keep visual and auditory distractions outside my perimeter.

Here’s my hierarchy.  I take each step, and if it’s not enough help, I take the next step:

1. Close the door, if the workspace has one.  If not, turn my back to where the door would logically be located and pretend it is closed.
2. Remove clutter from my line of sight.  Meaning: pile it behind me and deal with it later.
3. Put on headphones, without music.
4. Play music through the headphones–using a tried-and-true playlist that I know helps me focus.
5. Give up on 1-4 and go hide someplace quiet, such as the one in the photo above.

Usually, step 1 is enough.  Today, I had to go all the way to step 4.  I am definitely ready for the weekend!

How Do You Handle Distractions When You Need To Focus?

Leave a comment with your distraction-fighting go-to.  I’d love to see your ideas!