How do you deal with getting distracted?
A writer friend now long based in Los Angeles told me some decades back - when we were both in our thirties and having our first books published - that his way of avoiding writing was by cleaning the bathroom. I read somewhere that another writer writes on a computer in which the WiFi is deliberately disabled so that he cannot start surfing while writing. And personally I have to impose ‘no cellphone/no internet’ use while doing my daily quota of words.
The truth is: I am very rigorous about getting the quotidian quota done. Just as I find myself easily distracted by the temptations of the internet. Of course everyone with a modicum of smarts criticizes him/herself for giving in to distractions. Just as there is this mythic idea of the übermensch writer who towers above all the stupid beguilements of the on-line world and can focus on the task at hand with ultra-laser-like precision (to descend into bad 1950s sci-fi language). How do you stop getting distracted and focus 100% on the task at hand?
And I'm talking about mental distractions here, not physical ones. Once the mobile phones and laptops etc are out of the equation how do you stop thinking about other stuff. For example, reading a book but you're distracted by thinking about random everyday problems etc. Are you too easily distracted? Do you have trouble focusing? Here's how to focus:
Hi!
Easily distracted at work, which techniques work for you?
I'm a very distracted person by nature, my mind is literally everywhere, unless I'm in hyperfocus, which doesn't happen all the time. What methods have worked for you to keep you on track (even on boring tasks) for a period of time?
In my life I work with a lot of people who have a hard time focusing on things for any extended period of time - whether it's focusing on something for a single hour, a day, or a week. These are people who have multiple tabs open on multiple browsers, have messy rooms and busy, chaotic lives. Every time they try to focus on one thing, they'll abandon it and start something else, so that they have an enormous collection of unfinished work that becomes intimidating to even think about.
Is this you?
If so, first off, please don't judge yourself to harshly about it. This is something that many of us are going through, and this is also a type of problem that most of the previous generations have had to deal with before. For example, our grandparents didn't have multiple tabs open on multiple browsers back in the day because... well... you see what I mean.
So let's be gentle with ourselves.
Texting while sitting on the toilet. Watching TV before you fall asleep and checking Facebook during the commercials. Talking constantly to break the anxiety of silence. Making plans while never getting anything done.
Distractions are not fun anyway. They’re even tiring. So why do distract yourself?
You do it because it’s comfortable. It’s not enjoyable, but it numbs the mind. It shields you from reality.
Here’s the definition of distraction:
A thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
Distracting yourself is a way of escaping what’s going on. It helps you stop worrying about a particular problem by turning your back on it. It makes you feel a sense of relief. The more you do it, the easier you fall back into it. Eventually, you’re addicted to this childish way of dealing with the world. It becomes your response to reality.
Feeling bored? You distract yourself Feeling angry? You distract yourself Feeling depressed? You distract yourself
There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with distractions. They’re easy and comfortable activities. But our relationship to them is terrible. We use them as an escape from our life dissatisfaction. We’re basically drugging ourselves with meaningless stimuli. We’ve become addicted to it.
Addiction to distraction is everywhere. It’s at the root of many eating disorders and drug problems. It feeds procrastination and causes countless accidents.
The problem is simple. Distractions don’t leave you satisfied. Like any drug, they leave you craving for more. Even worse, they leave you feeling apathetic. You’re not living when you’re distracting yourself. You’re taking your attention away from reality. You’re overwhelming your mind with meaningless stimuli.
You know what I’m talking about. That moment where you brain convinces you that taking a 5 minute break is smart. The instant you give up and fall into unconsciousness; checking once more if something’s up on Facebook.
Numbing yourself up as you scroll down.
That damn 5 minute break, which usually lasts half an hour.
That break isn’t even a break anyway. A true pause calms your mind. A real “time-out” refreshes you and gives you energy to come back to your purpose wholeheartedly. If your brain calls a break, fine. But take a real one:
Fully stop what you’re doing for 2 minutes. Turn away from the desk and watch the wall. Nothing else. Don’t get distracted. Notice how your breathing slows down. How your thoughts become clearer. How your purpose aligns itself back on track.
What do professional athletes do during time-outs? Check their e-mail? Update their Twitter?
No. They pause and reflect. They clarify their vision and center themselves. That’s the true meaning of a break. A real pause is empowering.
Deep inside your being, there’s a craving for something more. Something doesn’t want to settle for mediocrity. It never will. No matter how much crap you feed into your brain, you’ll always feel empty. Your brain will keep asking for more crap out of habit, but it never will be satisfied.
You have to break through this vicious circle.
Ever wondered what would happen if you stopped distracting yourself?
There would be space. And initially, space would feel awkward. Like any respectable drug addict, you’d want to distract yourself again. You’d feel empty; it may become overwhelming.
But eventually, you’d start enjoying this new feeling. Stop distracting yourself, and slowly your head will come out of the water.
And you know what happens when you allow a bit of space in your life? Joy and peace emerge. You connect with people easily. You think outside the box effortlessly. Your thoughts are clear, and your actions lucid. You suddenly feel like you have more time.
Do you want to have a mind that demands constant activity? Or to you want to live from a basic state of clarity?
Space can become your default state. It is your default state. Just stop distracting yourself.
Now with that said, here's how to start regaining control of your attention and focus on things more deliberately.
How do you stop yourself from getting distracted while programming?
Title says it all, is there any like ritual like disabling your internet on the computer, turn off all music, turn on some music, etc.
Remember that at the very bottom of things; distraction is a choice.
If you can keep this simple truth in mind, then it can represent THE turning point for you and your ability to focus.
How do you guys stop yourself getting distracted?
I have started to program as a hobby, and really enjoy doing it, it is constructive and teaches me something that I wouldn't otherwise know about. However I often find myself just sitting in front of my computer refreshing reddit or youtube, instead of actually getting anything done, and I hate that feeling at the end of a day when you realise that you've done nothing worth while. Does this happen to anyone else, and how do you manage it?
What keeps most of us trapped in cycles of overwhelm/despair is that we believe on some level that we're powerless over the distractions that come at us. Some new video, text, game, song, book, or idea will come along and it will look attractive compared to whatever is in our hands at the moment, and we'll convince ourselves that we have no choice but to drop what's in our hands, and grasp the new thing.
How to not get unfocused while studying even with no distractions around?
For example I won't have my computer or phone or anything near me, and I'll be sitting just with a paper and pencil doing calculus, but I'll still space out and start thinking about random stuff. Common advice is to "remove all distractions so you don't have any near you" but in my case I'd literally have to remove my brain. And I space out so damn often, like for every 2 minutes of work there'll be 1 minute of spacing out, pretty much making me spend 50% more time.
So let's decide now: Is this true or not?
Because if you believe that you are powerless against distractions that come in, then you may as well call it Game Over now and give up. But if you believe, at the very bottom of things, that you ultimately are choosing whether to be distracted... then we have the raw materials that we need to build up your strength at focus.
Choose more deliberately.
Now check this out:
I enjoy reading if I'm invested in a story but I seem to always end up putting on the tv or checking my phone or getting distracted by people outside my window/birds/neighbours/flatmates etc.
I seem to need near complete silence to concentrate on reading a book and assimilating the text.
Otherwise I'll have to re read a passage or I'll just get annoyed and put the book down.
I'm quite new to reading but I've read a couple of book series recently that I really enjoyed and I'm trying to read more and form a new habit.
How do you keep your focus onto a task without wandering here and there?
My vocabulary isn't the best so it I read very slowly as I have to check on my phone meanings of words. Even when I know the word in the book I search it up to get 3/4 synonyms of the word, so my reading is quite stop start but if I don't look up the word I won't understand. It also keeps me looking at my phone to Google words which allows me to check FB/reddit/Snapchat etc.
How do you manage to block out the world and find time to read?
I'm trying to read a little everyday. But as I said I read so slowly so I'm hoping I improve.
Letting your attention be captured at random by things that come and go is like the equivalent of letting your child drive the car while you sit in the passenger seat. This is simply not where the child belongs. It's where you belong, you the intelligent one who wants to get in control and accomplish your life's purpose.
If you are not asserting order over where your attention is allocated, then your ability to focus will be weak. This means that you'll likely be taken off the tracks by a distraction before you even know what's going on.
This is okay! Remember, please go easy on yourself. Self-punishment is just another distraction. So instead, let this be the new practice: Whenever you wake up and DO recognize that you've been thrown off course by something - whenever that may be - just get back on track. Drop whatever that is, and come back to what's important.
Every time you decline to be distracted, you strengthen your focus and regain an increment of self-control.
Play the long-game with this. Again, as soon as you discover that you're distracted just come back to what's important. And if you're clear enough, you'll start to notice when distractions present themselves. They always present themselves as invitations. They say "You need to check this out right now, this is the most important thing!" and all you have to do is say "Thanks, no thanks" and get right back to what's important.
Every time you say "Thanks, no thanks" You get a bit stronger. The distraction element of you gets weaker. You become a bit more focused. If you don't know what you're supposed to focus on, then make an arbitrary choice and stick with it.
You may have 20 ideas and all of them seem relatively equal. If nothing in particular sticks out to you, then just choose one and complete it. Focus all the way through to completion. Having one thing completed, even if you completed "the wrong thing" is far, far, far better than wasting time trying to find "the right thing" to focus on. When you get something completed, you'll have a better idea of what you need to do - AND - you'll be much more likely to actually do it.
Decide that it's important enough to complete, and complete it.
Continuously return to this thing.
Instead of changing your mind, trust who you were when you made this choice and respect yourself enough to complete it.
Make promises that you know you can keep. Better to promise something small and keep it than to promise something large and fail.
Focus/Inability to focus are not personality traits, they are qualities that you CAN cultivate.
Distraction is a choice, an invitation. Just say "thanks, no thanks" and return to what's important. Currently in my second year of a master’s degree in math and I’m being consumed with interest in operating systems, assembly language, and cyber security. Naturally, learning about this stuff takes away time from studying for classes, but I fear if I don’t utilize this sudden momentum of intrigue in these topics I won’t have the energy later on to learn about them.
I finally understand why so many adults I knew looked tired all the time and were jaded and bitter. It’s like the closest thing we can find to happiness is to just be perpetually distracted. I don’t want to live this way. It doesn’t feel real. Have any of you thought this and have any tips?
I sincerely apologize in advance if a thread about reading violates the rules for r/books.
Sometimes when I sit down to read, my mind just wanders all the time. I'll have to reread the same sentences and paragraphs over and over and over again. This doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it's bad.
I doubt I'm the only one who has experienced this. Is there anything you guys keep your mind from wandering while you read? All in all it’s just a never ending desire for information, but how does one draw a line between following their interests (which is what brought them to math in the first place, but which new interests appear on an almost weekly basis) and something like a master’s degree which requires a degree of exclusivity in order to succeed?
Update: I sincerely thank you all for the replies. It sounds like there’s a lot of people in this community (and others) beyond myself who can and will really benefit from all these suggestions. Today I’m making a schedule!
The truth is: I am very rigorous about getting the quotidian quota done. Just as I find myself easily distracted by the temptations of the internet. Of course everyone with a modicum of smarts criticizes him/herself for giving in to distractions. Just as there is this mythic idea of the übermensch writer who towers above all the stupid beguilements of the on-line world and can focus on the task at hand with ultra-laser-like precision (to descend into bad 1950s sci-fi language). How do you stop getting distracted and focus 100% on the task at hand?
And I'm talking about mental distractions here, not physical ones. Once the mobile phones and laptops etc are out of the equation how do you stop thinking about other stuff. For example, reading a book but you're distracted by thinking about random everyday problems etc. Are you too easily distracted? Do you have trouble focusing? Here's how to focus:
Hi!
Easily distracted at work, which techniques work for you?
I'm a very distracted person by nature, my mind is literally everywhere, unless I'm in hyperfocus, which doesn't happen all the time. What methods have worked for you to keep you on track (even on boring tasks) for a period of time?
In my life I work with a lot of people who have a hard time focusing on things for any extended period of time - whether it's focusing on something for a single hour, a day, or a week. These are people who have multiple tabs open on multiple browsers, have messy rooms and busy, chaotic lives. Every time they try to focus on one thing, they'll abandon it and start something else, so that they have an enormous collection of unfinished work that becomes intimidating to even think about.
Is this you?
If so, first off, please don't judge yourself to harshly about it. This is something that many of us are going through, and this is also a type of problem that most of the previous generations have had to deal with before. For example, our grandparents didn't have multiple tabs open on multiple browsers back in the day because... well... you see what I mean.
So let's be gentle with ourselves.
Texting while sitting on the toilet. Watching TV before you fall asleep and checking Facebook during the commercials. Talking constantly to break the anxiety of silence. Making plans while never getting anything done.
Distractions are not fun anyway. They’re even tiring. So why do distract yourself?
You do it because it’s comfortable. It’s not enjoyable, but it numbs the mind. It shields you from reality.
Here’s the definition of distraction:
A thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
Distracting yourself is a way of escaping what’s going on. It helps you stop worrying about a particular problem by turning your back on it. It makes you feel a sense of relief. The more you do it, the easier you fall back into it. Eventually, you’re addicted to this childish way of dealing with the world. It becomes your response to reality.
Feeling bored? You distract yourself Feeling angry? You distract yourself Feeling depressed? You distract yourself
There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with distractions. They’re easy and comfortable activities. But our relationship to them is terrible. We use them as an escape from our life dissatisfaction. We’re basically drugging ourselves with meaningless stimuli. We’ve become addicted to it.
Addiction to distraction is everywhere. It’s at the root of many eating disorders and drug problems. It feeds procrastination and causes countless accidents.
The problem is simple. Distractions don’t leave you satisfied. Like any drug, they leave you craving for more. Even worse, they leave you feeling apathetic. You’re not living when you’re distracting yourself. You’re taking your attention away from reality. You’re overwhelming your mind with meaningless stimuli.
You know what I’m talking about. That moment where you brain convinces you that taking a 5 minute break is smart. The instant you give up and fall into unconsciousness; checking once more if something’s up on Facebook.
Numbing yourself up as you scroll down.
That damn 5 minute break, which usually lasts half an hour.
That break isn’t even a break anyway. A true pause calms your mind. A real “time-out” refreshes you and gives you energy to come back to your purpose wholeheartedly. If your brain calls a break, fine. But take a real one:
Fully stop what you’re doing for 2 minutes. Turn away from the desk and watch the wall. Nothing else. Don’t get distracted. Notice how your breathing slows down. How your thoughts become clearer. How your purpose aligns itself back on track.
What do professional athletes do during time-outs? Check their e-mail? Update their Twitter?
No. They pause and reflect. They clarify their vision and center themselves. That’s the true meaning of a break. A real pause is empowering.
Deep inside your being, there’s a craving for something more. Something doesn’t want to settle for mediocrity. It never will. No matter how much crap you feed into your brain, you’ll always feel empty. Your brain will keep asking for more crap out of habit, but it never will be satisfied.
You have to break through this vicious circle.
Ever wondered what would happen if you stopped distracting yourself?
There would be space. And initially, space would feel awkward. Like any respectable drug addict, you’d want to distract yourself again. You’d feel empty; it may become overwhelming.
But eventually, you’d start enjoying this new feeling. Stop distracting yourself, and slowly your head will come out of the water.
And you know what happens when you allow a bit of space in your life? Joy and peace emerge. You connect with people easily. You think outside the box effortlessly. Your thoughts are clear, and your actions lucid. You suddenly feel like you have more time.
Do you want to have a mind that demands constant activity? Or to you want to live from a basic state of clarity?
Space can become your default state. It is your default state. Just stop distracting yourself.
Now with that said, here's how to start regaining control of your attention and focus on things more deliberately.
How do you stop yourself from getting distracted while programming?
Title says it all, is there any like ritual like disabling your internet on the computer, turn off all music, turn on some music, etc.
Remember that at the very bottom of things; distraction is a choice.
If you can keep this simple truth in mind, then it can represent THE turning point for you and your ability to focus.
How do you guys stop yourself getting distracted?
I have started to program as a hobby, and really enjoy doing it, it is constructive and teaches me something that I wouldn't otherwise know about. However I often find myself just sitting in front of my computer refreshing reddit or youtube, instead of actually getting anything done, and I hate that feeling at the end of a day when you realise that you've done nothing worth while. Does this happen to anyone else, and how do you manage it?
What keeps most of us trapped in cycles of overwhelm/despair is that we believe on some level that we're powerless over the distractions that come at us. Some new video, text, game, song, book, or idea will come along and it will look attractive compared to whatever is in our hands at the moment, and we'll convince ourselves that we have no choice but to drop what's in our hands, and grasp the new thing.
How to not get unfocused while studying even with no distractions around?
For example I won't have my computer or phone or anything near me, and I'll be sitting just with a paper and pencil doing calculus, but I'll still space out and start thinking about random stuff. Common advice is to "remove all distractions so you don't have any near you" but in my case I'd literally have to remove my brain. And I space out so damn often, like for every 2 minutes of work there'll be 1 minute of spacing out, pretty much making me spend 50% more time.
So let's decide now: Is this true or not?
Because if you believe that you are powerless against distractions that come in, then you may as well call it Game Over now and give up. But if you believe, at the very bottom of things, that you ultimately are choosing whether to be distracted... then we have the raw materials that we need to build up your strength at focus.
Choose more deliberately.
Now check this out:
I enjoy reading if I'm invested in a story but I seem to always end up putting on the tv or checking my phone or getting distracted by people outside my window/birds/neighbours/flatmates etc.
I seem to need near complete silence to concentrate on reading a book and assimilating the text.
Otherwise I'll have to re read a passage or I'll just get annoyed and put the book down.
I'm quite new to reading but I've read a couple of book series recently that I really enjoyed and I'm trying to read more and form a new habit.
How do you keep your focus onto a task without wandering here and there?
My vocabulary isn't the best so it I read very slowly as I have to check on my phone meanings of words. Even when I know the word in the book I search it up to get 3/4 synonyms of the word, so my reading is quite stop start but if I don't look up the word I won't understand. It also keeps me looking at my phone to Google words which allows me to check FB/reddit/Snapchat etc.
How do you manage to block out the world and find time to read?
I'm trying to read a little everyday. But as I said I read so slowly so I'm hoping I improve.
Letting your attention be captured at random by things that come and go is like the equivalent of letting your child drive the car while you sit in the passenger seat. This is simply not where the child belongs. It's where you belong, you the intelligent one who wants to get in control and accomplish your life's purpose.
If you are not asserting order over where your attention is allocated, then your ability to focus will be weak. This means that you'll likely be taken off the tracks by a distraction before you even know what's going on.
This is okay! Remember, please go easy on yourself. Self-punishment is just another distraction. So instead, let this be the new practice: Whenever you wake up and DO recognize that you've been thrown off course by something - whenever that may be - just get back on track. Drop whatever that is, and come back to what's important.
Every time you decline to be distracted, you strengthen your focus and regain an increment of self-control.
Play the long-game with this. Again, as soon as you discover that you're distracted just come back to what's important. And if you're clear enough, you'll start to notice when distractions present themselves. They always present themselves as invitations. They say "You need to check this out right now, this is the most important thing!" and all you have to do is say "Thanks, no thanks" and get right back to what's important.
Every time you say "Thanks, no thanks" You get a bit stronger. The distraction element of you gets weaker. You become a bit more focused. If you don't know what you're supposed to focus on, then make an arbitrary choice and stick with it.
You may have 20 ideas and all of them seem relatively equal. If nothing in particular sticks out to you, then just choose one and complete it. Focus all the way through to completion. Having one thing completed, even if you completed "the wrong thing" is far, far, far better than wasting time trying to find "the right thing" to focus on. When you get something completed, you'll have a better idea of what you need to do - AND - you'll be much more likely to actually do it.
Decide that it's important enough to complete, and complete it.
Continuously return to this thing.
Instead of changing your mind, trust who you were when you made this choice and respect yourself enough to complete it.
Make promises that you know you can keep. Better to promise something small and keep it than to promise something large and fail.
Focus/Inability to focus are not personality traits, they are qualities that you CAN cultivate.
Distraction is a choice, an invitation. Just say "thanks, no thanks" and return to what's important. Currently in my second year of a master’s degree in math and I’m being consumed with interest in operating systems, assembly language, and cyber security. Naturally, learning about this stuff takes away time from studying for classes, but I fear if I don’t utilize this sudden momentum of intrigue in these topics I won’t have the energy later on to learn about them.
I finally understand why so many adults I knew looked tired all the time and were jaded and bitter. It’s like the closest thing we can find to happiness is to just be perpetually distracted. I don’t want to live this way. It doesn’t feel real. Have any of you thought this and have any tips?
I sincerely apologize in advance if a thread about reading violates the rules for r/books.
Sometimes when I sit down to read, my mind just wanders all the time. I'll have to reread the same sentences and paragraphs over and over and over again. This doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it's bad.
I doubt I'm the only one who has experienced this. Is there anything you guys keep your mind from wandering while you read? All in all it’s just a never ending desire for information, but how does one draw a line between following their interests (which is what brought them to math in the first place, but which new interests appear on an almost weekly basis) and something like a master’s degree which requires a degree of exclusivity in order to succeed?
Update: I sincerely thank you all for the replies. It sounds like there’s a lot of people in this community (and others) beyond myself who can and will really benefit from all these suggestions. Today I’m making a schedule!
