What To Do If You Are Getting Easily Distracted

By Patrina Pellett, PhD & Tom Caravela

You have some big goals you are going after or high-impact work that will increase your visibility at your company. But you find yourself getting easily distracted and just cannot seem to focus. How can you get back on track and not let the distractions win? Keep reading. This article will provide you with tips and resources to help you not be so easily distracted.

What To Do If You Are Getting Easily Distracted

When sitting down to get your high-impact work done, do you find yourself suddenly scrolling through social media or mindlessly checking emails without even thinking about it? Your brain gets distracted and poof, you are no longer focusing.

If you want to meet your goals and have a huge impact, you have to get into flow state and do the work. This article on how to Eliminate Distractions To Get Into Flow State explains a simple 2 step process for eliminating distractions:

1. Identify your distractors

Everyone's distractors will be unique. Figure out what yours are. Tom says, "Create a list.... We all know what our main distractions are."

2. Get rid of them

Now that you have main distractions listed out, start eliminating them. Consider turning off notifications, closing unnecessary tabs in your browser, or finding a quiet work place. Put your phone away so that you can focus on your high-impact work. Do whatever it takes to prevent yourself from getting easily distracted.

If Patrina's brain knows that tabs with email and LinkedIn are open, no work will be done. 

What If Eliminating Distractions Still Doesn't Work?

You've eliminated your big distractors and now your brain is finding new distractions. Now what? Obviously get rid of those too, but it may be time to work on your mindset. A fun tip is to treat work like you are going to the movies. You know how when you go to the movies you are mentally prepared to sit for 2-3 hours and focus on the movie? Bring that mindset to your focus work. 

Additionally remember why you are doing these things! Here are some resources to help you stay motivated by connecting with your why.

Connect With Your Why

In MSL Talk podcast episode 146: The BURN: How to Become a TOP Performer & Excel at the HIGHEST Levels, Ben Newman talks about to do things on the days don't feel like it. Ben recommends connecting with your why or what he calls the "the burn".

Find ways to connect with your why to help you dig deep and find the motivation to stay focused. Tom discusses a 4 step process to maintain discipline in MSL Talk Podcast Episode 148: Motivation Means NOTHING. A key step is to write your goals down.

Put your goals and motivations is place that you will see daily. Create a wallpaper for your phone background or a beautiful vision board to hang in your office. Here are more tips to help you create a habit around reviewing your goals daily. Seeing your goals and remembering what you are working towards will help you avoid getting easily distracted.

More Tips if You Still Need Motivation

You have eliminated your distractions and connected with your why (great job BTW!), but you are still struggling with discipline. This is where having a detailed plan can make the difference.

MSL Talk Podcast Episode 86: INTENTION: How to Get What You Want and Achieve Your Goals discusses tips for how to execute your goals. Tom recommends setting a daily intention and spending 15 minutes quietly sitting with your thoughts. We discuss various ways you can practice meditation in this article on how to invest in yourself. You don't have to chant "ooommmm" for long periods of time. We recommend developing a routine that works for you.

Episode 86 includes way more tips on how take action on your goals. Try setting daily priorities and visualizing how you will feel when you accomplish them and your larger goals. Create detailed plans for your week with a weekly reset routine designed to help you stay focused.  With a plan in place, it will be easier for your brain to focus. This is especially helpful when you are feeling tired or low energy.

Conclusion

We all get easily distracted sometimes. It happens. To get you back on track crushing your goals try eliminating all distractions, connecting with your why, and creating a plan to help you execute. Also know that the MSL Mastery community is cheering you on! You got this!

What are ways you are easily distracted and how to avoid them? What works for you? Share with us on the MSL Mastery LinkedIn page!

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