“Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus.” — Ann Voskamp
Our world has become a constant feed of information, noise, and entertainment. Our phones live not just in our pockets, but in front of our eyes. The influence of the Internet and its constant stream of information is accessible from nearly corner of our world. Breaking news breaks into our day at breakneck speed. And we are fed messages relentlessly from advertisements on nearly every flat surface. Each distraction enters our mind with one goal: Gain control of our attention and resources.
As a result, we live distracted lives and our ability to focus, create, and accomplish suffers significantly. It is increasingly clear that distractions are not going away on their own. Instead, the responsibility is ours to live attentive, intentional lives in a world of distraction. This is a goal we must continue to seek.
To live life with less distraction, consider implementing one or more of these 10 unconventional habits:
1. Turn off smart phone notifications. Our smart phones have quickly become one of the greatest sources of distraction in our lives. The average person now touches their mobile phone 2,617 times every day.
To limit the distractive nature of your smart phone, turn off all nonessential notifications (Email, Facebook, Twitter, Games, etc.) as a default setting. As a result, you will be able to check your apps on your schedule at appropriate times throughout the day.
2. Read/Answer email only twice each day. When we keep our email client open all day, we surrender our attention to the most recent bidder rather than the most important. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we understand why the habit of checking email only twice/day is promoted over and over again by some of the most productive people in our world today (Michael Hyatt, Scott Belsky, Leo Babauta).
Schedule your email processing. You will feel the benefits immediately as the habit instantly limits incoming distraction.
3. Complete 1-2 minute projects immediately. Our lives and minds are often cluttered and distracted by the many unfinished projects around us (unanswered email, household chores, financial responsibilities). Fortunately, many of these projects can be completed in far less time than we think. To live with less distraction, if a project can be completed in less than 2 minutes, adopt a “one-minute-rule” mentality.
4. Remove physical clutter. Unnecessary clutter is a significant form of visual distraction. Consider this: everything in our eyesight subtly pulls at our attention at least a little. And the more we remove, the less visual stress and distraction we experience. Clear your desk, your walls, your counters, and your home of unneeded possessions. You’ll be surprised at your newfound ability to focus.
5. Clear visible, distracting digital clutter. Just like physical clutter distracts our attention, digital clutter accomplishes the same. Desktop icons, open programs, and other visible notifications jockey for unannounced attention in our mind. Notice the digital triggers that grab your attention. And ruthlessly remove them.
6. Accept and accentuate your personal rhythms. Discover the rhythms of your day to make the most of them. For example, I do my best creative work in the morning, afternoons work well for busy-work, and evenings are set aside for family—leaving late evenings for entertainment, rest, and guilt-free distraction.
Accepting and understanding our natural rhythms to the day/week provides healthy motivation to remove distractions during our most productive parts of the day knowing there is opportunity later to indulge them
7. Establish a healthy morning routine. Henry Ward Beecher once said, “The first hour is the rudder of the day.” He was absolutely right. Begin your days on your terms apart from distraction. If possible, wake first in your household. Drink your coffee or tea or fix yourself a warm breakfast. Journal or read or just enjoy the silence. Develop a distraction-free morning routine. It will lay the foundation for a less-distracted day.
8. Cancel cable / Unplug television. It is difficult to argue against the distracting nature of our television. Researchers tell us the average American watches 37-40 hours of television each week. There is, of course, a solution to this madness: unplug your television completely.
But if this step seems too drastic a stretch for your family, you’ll never regret the simple decision to cancel cable. Your calendar will thank you for the extra time available. Your wallet will thank you for the extra dollars. And you’ll quickly wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
9. Keep a to-do list. One of the most helpful and practical pieces of advice I ever received about keeping focus is the simple solution of keeping a to-do list handy and current. No matter how hard you try to manage yourself, new responsibilities and opportunities will surface in your mind from internal and external sources.
The opportunity to quickly write down the task allows it to be quickly discarded from your mind. I use Clear as a simple, easy-to-use opportunity list.
10. Care less what other people think. The value of your life is not measured by the number of likes your Facebook post receives or the number of positive comments on your blog post. Please understand, there is great value in humbly seeking opinion and appreciating the wise counsel of those who love you.
But there is no value in wasting mental energy over the negative criticism of those who only value their own self-interests. Learn to recognize the difference. And stop living distracted over the opinion of people who don’t matter.
There is little doubt our world is filled with constant distraction—it always has been. And there is little doubt that those who achieve the greatest significance in life learn to manage it effectively—they always have.
Image: Richard Ruzsa
Amy Hagerup says
I love number 7 and Beecher’s quote! I’m going to remember that first hour’s importance. I need to implement checking email just twice a day too. blessings, Amy
joshua becker says
Thanks Amy.
Bethany @ Journey to Ithaca says
Interesting that you included a to-do list, when so many people advise against it. I have found keeping such a list to be quite helpful, especially when I’m doing things I’d rather not be doing (like decluttering the house and paring down so we can move). In a perfect world, lists would not be necessary, because we would only do things we like. But sometimes a little drudgery is necessary to make good things happen, and the list gets me up off the couch (and away from the computer!)
joshua becker says
I commented above on my personal use of to-do lists as I have found them helpful in managing distractions. Additionally, I have found that they do hep improve my productivity as well keeping me focused on the very next thing to do.
matthew d. lyons says
Thanks for the list, thought I might call the 10 items unpopular instead of unconventional. So many of the enumerated habits are well-known ways to reduce or eliminate distractions; but those items are the things that many of us struggle, or loathe, putting in motion. I am glad that you closed with the word “manage.” We may not be able to control every distraction, but we are not completely powerless and have the ability to manage distractions.
One of the things that I’ve noticed with people is making and maintaining a To-Do list is akin to dieting or journaling. A lot of people endeavor to diet or keep a journal. They start out with a full head of steam, only to find the motivation and practice wane after a few weeks or months. I practice most of these items, except for the email notifications. I work in a job that just doesn’t allow for silencing email notifications. The only time that I silence my email notifications at work is when I’m focusing on a project; otherwise it dings away all day. Fortunately, I don’t respond to the email sound l like Pavlov’s dog.
Eric says
THAT’s a print! Oh wait–save to electrons for reference. No additional paper in house.
Terry says
Awesome advice! Ive been making one small change daily and the encouragement received from these daily readings is making a huge positive impact on my life. THANK YOU!!!!!
Debesyla says
Wait, I should KEEP the to-do list? I understand perfectly the ideas list (for example I got one for topics on my blog), I understand the day plans list (aka 3-4 most important things I am going to do today).. But to-do lists?
They are essentially worthless most of the time because the ideas and things to do written there not only get easily forgotten, but also keep annoying the crap out of me. I once had a list where few of the things to do stayed there in the top for more than three months. Three months of “hey, look, there is one more thing left”!
Writing down ONE goal and then every day writing down 4 smaller things to do is way better idea. Well, way easier to not to get crazy, at least.
joshua becker says
Thanks for the comment. I have found an Opportunities List (To-Do list) to be helpful. It may not be the same for others. But for me, if I am focusing on something else and an item enters my mind, it is helpful to quickly jot down the item and move forward with my current project. Writing it down allows me the opportunity to not worry about it or be distracted by it at the given time.
Robert Wall says
Debesyla, it sounds like your to-do list wasn’t really a good reflection of your priorities. The question (to me) is, does that mean to-do lists are inherently a problem? Or does it just mean they need to be managed better?
After all, one large goal and four tasks a day is still a to-do list – it’s just a more immediately relevant one.
Out of curiosity, where do you park your long-term to-dos in your current system?
Chris says
I found my head (and does anything else really matter :) decluttered more easily when I became regular about keeping a to-do list. It’s not that everything on that list gets done–far from it, but the important things do (or they will usually appear on a future list). I sit down nearly every morning and spend five or so minutes emptying whatever’s on my brain at the moment onto a list. Handwritten for the most part, and I don’t filter for importance or priority. The old list may or may not be at hand. The little stuff vacates my brain freeing me to focus on that which needs my attention, and as a bonus, I’ll effortlessly remember to stop at the store for more coffee and cream.
Pearlimperfect says
Thanks for offering up these ideas… lots useful in there. As one of those with a butterfly mind – I can make great lists… then forget to refer to them…
I do a daily call (weekdays) with a buddy before starting work – where we commit to 3 small actions for the day. Amazing how that accountability works for the encouragement to stay on task, and the support to rest as needed. Love your blog – keep it up.
ps Thanks for the ‘reasons to write a blog’ which I read yesterday as I’m still teetering…
pb says
Which item on the list was unconventional? These are all obvious and completely conventional.
joshua becker says
Thanks for the comment pb. I guess it is safe to say “unconventional” is going to vary from person to person. For most of my adult life, I have not put these items above into practice (email, simplicity, routine, cable television, enough to-do lists). In that way, they were unconventional practices to me… and I believe to be unconventional in many other lives as well.
Mr. Everyday Dollar says
Solid list. The way I became way more productive was a combination of 2 items listed: only tackling the inbox twice a day (allows me to focus on big wins, the top priorities) and a to-do list.
While I always had a running to-do list, I changed how I use it so that every Monday I jot down three things I want to accomplish that week both at work (e.g., finish report on X and send it out, get feedback on Y, start a rough draft of slide deck on Z) and at home (e.g., call credit card company about X, send out invites for Y, book hotel for Z).
Every morning I look at the list to make sure I’m focusing on those things and at the end of the week I go over the list, mostly to find everything checked off. If for some reason I wasn’t able to check everything off, I’m brutally honest with myself why I wasn’t able to.
It works wonders.
Linda Stoll says
LOVED this … as a coach/counselor, I’ve been waving the red flag about this for years, but sometimes feel like a voice crying in the wilderness! I’ve shared your link on this week’s Gleanings –
http://creeksideministries.blogspot.com/2013/06/gleanings-links-cute-shoes-sabbath.html
Thank you for putting it all on the table!