Staying Focused in a world of distraction

By ANDREW GROZA

Being able to focus on the most important things has always been a challenge; it just seems to be harder these days. The proliferation of technologies and platforms that vie for our attention, that are increasingly finding their way into the rhythms of the way we work, wear us down and we often end up caught in the maelstrom of jumping from one task to the next, getting to the end of our day wondering what we actually achieved.

Or maybe that’s just me.

We know that moving towards our long-term goals happens as we make small progress in our day-to-day and our day-to-day is often the problem because that is where we get distracted. Here is some advice from the social sciences that can help us.

1. You are not welcome…at this time

Georgetown professor Cal Newport has been researching productivity and focus for many years, and he argues that to “produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task, free from distraction.” He argues that creating spaces where you are uninterruptable will boost your performance. Structuring my environment to counter distraction sometimes looks like turning off emails, putting my phone on DND, placing a physical sign above my desk that indicates to colleagues I need to focus on deep work, and using noise cancelling headphones –sometimes with music.

2. Plan to encounter the enemy

No, not the devil – me. I am often my own worst enemy, and therefore need to plan my day to counteract my tendency to get distracted by conversations with colleagues, washing dishes, or making coffee. Therefore, planning ahead what I will and won’t do, and when, sharpens my focus.

Furthermore, I try to structure my most important work in the period of the day where I have the highest energy. Carey Nieuwhof writes that not all hours in the day are created equal and that we need to recognize our energy fluctuates throughout the day. Work with, rather than against your green, yellow, and red zones.

3. Exercise that hard-to-reach muscle

Focus is a muscle, metaphorically speaking; you need to work at it if you want it to grow. Here’s a few exercises that will help “workout” this hard-to-get-at muscle:

• Pay attention to your attention in a conversation, and if you find your focus slipping, intentionally bring it back.

• Create space in your schedule to sit, without technology, and direct your thoughts on one thing, such as an organisational problem or a biblical text.

• Consider redefining your relationship to technology through a technological Sabbath. Attempting to not engage with technology such as your phone or emails for 24 hours increases your capacity to say no to intrusion.

Bonus: For more outstanding practical thoughts on focus and using technology wisely, check out AC’s interview with Productivity Consultant Daniel Sih.

With intentionality and practice, you just might find yourself at the end of the year looking back with surprise at how much less distracted and more productive you are, actually enjoying the important work God has called you to (Ecc 2:24).

Read the full article (with an additional tip) here