Regain Control of Your Attention: How to Overcome Distractions and Boost Productivity

These two effective systems are essential to regain control of your attention and make intentional decisions.

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The average person's mind wanders 47% of the time, leading to hours of lost productivity each day. That may be fine if you're sitting in the office collecting a check, but if you run your own business, then distraction is costing you freedom. This article will explain two systems that can help you regain control of your attention and make more mindful decisions about how you spend your time.

The Cost of Distraction

Mindlessly scrolling through content feeds can lead to unintentional time loss
Being mindful about your decisions can help you regain control of your attention
Discipline and willpower alone are often not enough to overcome distractions

System 1: Preventative Measures

Increase the friction of distractions to prevent them from happening in the first place.

Use apps to block or limit distractions
Apps like One Sec can prompt you to rethink your intentions when opening social media
Set time limits for certain apps or make them more difficult to access
Establish rules for social media use
No social media in the morning or during your most productive hours
Use social media only on your laptop, not on your phone
Delete distracting apps
While not always possible, deleting apps completely can be the most effective preventative measure

System 2: Fail-Safe Measures

Set up a fail-safe system to stop you when you've gone too far into a distraction.

Use an hourly alarm
Set an alarm to go off every hour as a reminder to check your focus
This technique is inspired by the book Focus by Daniel Goleman
Practice self-awareness
Over time, you may become conditioned to expect the alarm and will naturally catch yourself when your mind wanders
Eventually, you may be able to wean yourself off the alarm completely

Conclusion

By implementing these two systems—a preventative and a fail-safe—you can regain control of your attention and make more intentional decisions about how you spend your time. Being mindful of distractions can help you boost productivity and take control of your day.