We’re more connected than ever while we work.
But that means it’s also easier than ever to get distracted from important work by minutiae, from an unexpected phone call to social media notifications.
The secret to staying productive is balancing how connected you need to be with eliminating unneeded distractions.
Start by disabling notifications you don’t need on all your devices which create hard to ignore audio and visual distraction.
If you really need to stay isolated, turn off your internet connection entirely.
Unfortunately, most people require internet access to get work done, which means you might be tempted by websites that distract you.
Luckily, there are tools that you can use to restrict your own access to certain websites.
They work by giving you a list of the sites you want the block at a time you want to block them for, then you are prevented from accessing those websites again until the timer is up.
Working on a computer can also cause a lot of visual distraction.
While applications like Microsoft Office and Google Drive keep getting bigger and more feature field, you might find yourself more focused and a paired-down text editor.
OS X and Windows both include utilitarian text editors, but third-party apps like Focus Writer can provide a more pleasant experience.
Running an app in full screen can eliminate clutter even further.
If you’re in an open or noisy space, wearing headphones will drown out audio distractions and notify others that you don’t want to be bothered.
Active noise canceling head phones are the superlative option.
But in your headphones and those that cover your entire ear work almost as well.
Try listening to a noise machine which can drown out sounds without distracting, like music might.
The standard is white noise, but there are other colors of noise that have different characters, as well as environment emulators like rain or waterfall.
Try out a variety to see what you like best.
The best tools to help you stay focused at work are those that help eliminate distraction.
Figure out what causes you to get distracted from being productive and remove it.
Then you’ll be able to do your best work.
