Quantify your lack of focus
A method to beat distractions
Written by Dr. Samar Habib, co-founder of https://conscioused.org/
Even when doing the work I love sometimes my productivity falters. Sometimes, I just can’t seem to get my mind to settle. Plus, as my own boss there’s no one there to breathe down my neck or hold me accountable.
I decided to get curious about being distracted by collecting as much information on this particular behavior as I could. I started setting a timer to measure two things: 1) the length of my bouts of concentration and 2) the length of each distraction. Just keeping track of my work-related behavior in this way increased my awareness of falling out of focus. This awareness predisposes me to getting more focused because now I’m aware of having become distracted.
It sounds weird, but it isn’t really. It’s the same as when Cognitive Behavioral Therapy practitioners get their clients to track their negative moods. Over time, keeping a record of when we feel sad, for example, helps reduce the frequency of our sadness.
Another trick I try on the days I lack focus, is to limit each project I’m working on to 60 minutes. Introducing a fake time limit gives me a sense of urgency, oh dear, I only have 30 minutes left before I have to stop working on this for the day.
