Focused effort
Enhance your productivity and maximize your output by minimizing distractions
by DIPESH JAIN
Today, we are more distracted than ever. The internet and our digital devices have made it difficult for us to get the most out of our time.
At one point, I was so distracted that I found the regular eight or nine hours of work insufficient to get even the basic stuff done. I stretched those hours and took work home. My personal and professional life suffered because of that, and I never found time to work on my long-term projects.
My experience isn’t a one-off. The latest research shows that most knowledge workers cannot get even an hour of continuous, uninterrupted time. I figured that the only way out of this distracted lifestyle was to engage in deep work regularly.
Author and Georgetown University computer science professor Cal Newport defines deep work as “professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive capabilities to their limit.” It is also commonly referred to as the zone or a flow state.
The shift from distracted to deep work is crucial to achieving your potential. However, it isn’t easy. The following steps made it possible for me and may help you.
Meditate
Plan your day
Avoid multi-tasking
Relax and rejuvenate
Rein in your phone
Do not let your phone steal your focus and attention. Make these tweaks to get the maximum benefits from your phone without the accompanying distractions:
- Turn off all but critical notifications.
- Turn on airplane mode during your deep work sessions.
- Clean your home screen and keep only the important apps there.
- Schedule inbox and social media check-ins to avoid mindless scrolling.
- Keep phones away from your bedroom.
- Use a separate alarm device.—DJ
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