We’ve all been there. We settle in to tackle a proposal or dive into a paper, but ten minutes later, we’re scrolling through social media or watching a random YouTube video. With everything just a click away online, staying focused feels like an ongoing struggle. However, to accomplish anything meaningful, we must stay on track. Deep, uninterrupted work is where our best ideas and results emerge. We must minimise distractions as much as possible. Here are some practical tips to help you maintain focus where it belongs.

Switch off all notification

This is quite obvious, but very few people do it. Switch off all notifications! Every app on your smart devices and computer tries to get your attention. Nowadays, they all have a visual badge with a number, usually with a red background, signalling that extremely important messages are waiting for you. In addition, they make sounds and/or give some haptic signals like vibrations. Some even pop-up with a message right in front of your work. The problem is, all these notifications feel very important, but they’re not.

I highly recommend switching off all notifications on all devices. At least put the them in focus mode, which significantly reduces the amount of notifications. If you really wait for a specific message, in most operating systems, especially for smartphones, you can define VIP groups (e.g., for your family) that are allowed to contact you.

How to switch off notifications on your iPhone/iPad [link to video] (9 mins)
How to switch off notifications on macOS [link]
How to switch off notifications on your Android devices [link]
How to switch off notifications on Windows [link]

Change your environment

Sometimes, we get distracted simply by being in the same place all the time. Your office is the place where you do your daily tasks, and therefore your mind connects your desk space with your daily routine work. If you want to work on something more significant (like your “ugly frog” - see my blog post), your office space can be distracting. You are constantly pulled away from your big project and pulled into more minor tasks like email checking. This can be extremely distracting.

The solution is quite straightforward. Go to a different room or even building to work on your big projects. Go to your university library, maybe you book a meeting booth, or go to a coffee shop. If the weather is beautiful, go outside and enjoy the sun while brainstorming ideas on your tablet. Changing the environment can change your energy level and help you to focus.

I have a specific place at the university where I go for writing proposals. When I enter this particular building, my body and mind are already prepared to be in “proposal writing mode”.

Distraction-free editors

When writing, it’s incredibly easy to get distracted by all the features modern word editors offer. The infamous Word ribbon, which seems to occupy half the screen, and even if you reduce it, your eyes keep wandering back and forth between the text and menu options. Moreover, when you start writing immediately, you receive negative feedback, highlighting all your typos and potential grammatical errors with squiggly lines. This can be incredibly distracting. Worse, it makes you switch between writing and editing modes, which engages two different parts of the brain. Each switch requires extra energy, and after a while, you become exhausted.
A good way to overcome this is to use distraction-free editors. These editors provide you with a clear sheet, without visible icons, and often offer specific focus modes. I use ByWord (see example screenshot where the app is in paragraph focus mode). Unfortunately, it’s only available for the Mac. However, there are many other options available. Check out this list on Wired.com.

There are also online versions available like ZenPen, CalmlyWriter, and many others (simply search for the term “distraction-free editors.”

Start the day without distraction

One of the most dangerous times to get distracted is at the beginning of the day. A distraction in the morning can derail your entire day, and it’s incredibly challenging to recover from such a setback. Therefore, it’s crucial to safeguard yourself early in your workday.

An effective way to control your morning is by establishing a morning routine. It doesn’t necessarily require waking up at 5 a.m., but rather setting up a habit for the first maybe 30 mins of your work day that propels you in the right direction. I’ve written a blog post that provides you with some tips on how to develop such a morning ritual.

Complementary to that, it’s a good idea to remove all distractions when you are closing your work day. Quit all applications, clean the whiteboard, and remove all papers on your desk. The next day, you can start fresh without any distractions. If you want to read more about an effective way to finish work, you can find it on my blog on the 20-minute Academic Cool-Down.

Make it difficult for you

The Internet is a central tool for academic research. Our work often revolves around it. We use it to communicate, to find papers, to look up information, etc. However, just around the “corner” of a plethora of useful information, there is also social media, YouTube, and many other distractions. Who hasn’t been in the situation of just wanting to look up a paper and suddenly is watching cat videos? It’s very easy to get distracted. We have to make it more difficult.

Luckily, there exists a wide range of software that can help you to keep focus. This can be simple browser plugins like Momentum. When you start your browser instead of your Google search, it shows a beautiful picture with some text that you can edit. You could say “Go back to work!” or “Do you really need the browser”? This adds just enough friction for you to be able to make conscious decisions.

If that is not enough, you could potentially simply disconnect from the Internet. I use this when I write emails, especially when my answers are more complex and require my full concentration. That way, I am not distracted by all the new emails coming in in the meantime.

If you still get distracted, there is software like Freedom, which allows you to define groups of apps or webpages that you want to be blocked. There are also more extreme versions like Cold Turkey, which has different options to prevent you from accessing the Internet, including one that requires you to restart your computer.

Join forces

Another way to make it easier for you to avoid distraction is by joining forces with others. Sitting on your own gives your mind every chance to distract you. Having people around who, like you, have committed to sit down and do the work can be a very powerful environment. If you have a shared office, you can organise writing sessions. Schedule regular proposal (or thesis, or article) writing sessions for you and your colleagues. You can make it more effective by booking a specific room (a change of location can help you to focus). Maybe there is also some funding available at your school or department for some cookies, coffee, and tea. If not maybe everyone can bring something to share.

If you can’t convince anyone to join forces, you can also join online groups like:

https://shutupwrite.com (Shut Up and Write sessions)
https://szwg.co.uk/about (Silent Zoom Writing Group - SZWG)

There are many online writing groups, mostly organised by authors to overcome writer's block. However, a lot of them welcome academics as well. Also, some are more social, where everyone introduces themselves, while others you can join even with being muted and the video switched off (e.g., SWZG). Choose whatever works best for you.

Distraction can be subtle

Finally, distraction doesn’t always have to show up as a YouTube video or wasting time on social media. It can often be quite subtle. It can masquerade as busy work. You might feel like you’re being productive, but in reality, you’re not advancing toward your goals. For example, you could spend all day responding to emails—even on weekends—without making meaningful progress towards your goal. Unfortunately, for the most part, this is a distraction and, worse, it feels like real work. Watch out for this pitfall! A great way to sidestep it is to apply the Rule of Three, which helps you to focus on your most important work (your Ugly Frogs). This becomes even more powerful when you pack that into a Morning Routine.

Finally, if you are struggling with social media, you should watch Cal Newport’s TEDx talk “Quit social media” (14 mins).

What are your best tips and tricks? Do you have a great software that helps you to stay focused? Please share in the comment section below!

Work Smart and be Remarkable!

Have a great day!

- Helmut

How to Avoid Distractions