Do you often catch yourself not paying attention to you work or other interactions that matter in your life. If so, then this article is for you. We are going to talk about some reasons you could be getting distracted, and what you can do about it. Read on to achieve higher productivity.

What kind of distraction are you dealing with

There are two different kinds of distractions and you could be dealing with one or both on a daily basis.

Internal Distractions
External Distractions

Internal distraction are thoughts that are keeping you in your head. Maybe you had an argument with a friend that you can’t get over. Maybe you are having self doubts, or are disappointed with you level of achievement. Any thought that is drawing you away from your work is an internal distraction.

So how do we deal with internal distractions?

You need to address them

Ignoring your feelings on internal issues only makes them fester and multiply until it puts you into crisis. The last thing you want to do is leave these thoughts unchecked. Take just a few minutes and figure out why the thoughts are holding you hostage, then figure out when the right time to solve the issue is. When you know what the problem is, and when to solve it, you will be able to move forward with your day (Provided you actually solve the problem at that time, otherwise you just have another problem).

Ok what about the external distractions?

It depends on what the distraction is, but generally you want to remove the cause of the distraction from your area. If you can’t get off of your phone, move it to the floor or out of the room. Make the thing that is distracting you hard to access. If you are still getting distracted by the device then you did not make it hard enough to access. As for other external factors like loud noises you could put on noise cancelling headphones, or buy a sound absorbing device for windows or walls.

Ditch bad habits

Multitasking is not being productive, it is intentionally performing multiple things poorly. Your brain cannot truly focus on two separate tasks at the same time, it switches between them very quickly. You could get two things done at the same time, but think about how much higher quality of work you could produce if you devoted full attention to different tasks individually throughout your day. Quite a bit for most people.

Make sure you are both:

Getting enough quality sleep
Drinking enough water

It doesn’t just matter that you sleep long enough, you need to make sure that you get quality sleep in order to not feel the effects of fatigue. Make sure you have a good sleeping arrangement, and avoid electronics, stimulants, or alcohol before bed. Give your body the quality sleep it deserves!

When it comes to water consumption, the difference is night and day between drinking enough and not. If you are one of those people who doesn’t like water or forgets to drink it regularly, I highly suggest keeping a reusable water bottle near you at all times. Drinking enough water, especially in the morning is one of the biggest ways I have improved my productivity. With enough water I feel energized all day and tasks seem to feel far less like chores.

Prioritize tasks

Scheduling out your tasks is a great way to reduce distractions since you know what you are supposed to be working on at any given time. Plan out your day into large blocks on you calendar and set reminders for the most important sections. Make sure that you aren’t scheduling multiple tasks at once because remember multitasking will hurt your efficiency!

When you are planning your day make sure you include your most important work in the time frame where you have the least outside influence. For most people this is early in the morning or late at night, but do what works for you!