It can happen to any of us. They pop out of nowhere, especially in the spring. And as much as you try to avoid them they often make it impossible. Unfortunately, if you don’t avoid them then they can hijack your day and prevent you from getting anything accomplished. What are these dastardly things? Distractions.

How often do you feel distracted? Sometimes despite our best efforts, it’s so easy to succumb to distractions. This is true in the spring, when we have felt cooped up all winter and are ready to enjoy the warm, sunny days again. Distractions are part of the day. However, the key is to find a way to ignore them before they impact your productivity. Today we will help you identify and face your distractions before they impact your productivity.

What are your distractions?

The first step in facing distractions is to identify what distracts you the most. Now what distracts you may not distract someone else. For example, you may become distracted by the sight of dirty dishes in the sink. It may distract you so much that you can’t possibly do your Power Hour and reach out to connect with people in your network without getting those dishes done. For someone else, it may be the sight of a warm, sunny day and they want to go outside for a run or a walk.

Although they may promise themselves that they will do their Power Hour as soon as they get back, something else may come up that keeps them from doing that task. Additionally, for someone else, it might be that they have young children or others in the household who pop their heads in when they are trying to connect with the people in their networks.

In all of these cases, it’s easy for distractions to get the best of us. No one lives a distraction-free existence. Even the most successful people have distractions that they must fight to ignore every day. Identify what distracts you the most so that you can avoid it, ignore it, or prevent it in the future.

Identifying distractions

Take out a piece of paper or open a notes app on your phone and think about the average day. As you think about your day make a list of the things that have distracted you the most in the last week. Don’t think too hard. Just write down the distractions you faced in the last week, particularly during the time in which you had intended to work on your business. Make your list as exhaustive as you can. 

Once you’ve created your list, look at the things you wrote down. Then circle all the distractions you encounter most frequently. Do you see a pattern? Are there things that you can do to avoid, ignore, or prevent these instructions in the future?

How to fight distractions

Once you might identify your distractions it’s much easier to deal with them. Here are a few tips to do so.

Schedule day

The first way to fight distractions is to schedule your day. To many people, the thought of planning can make them break out into a cold sweat. To others who plan other parts of their lives, they may bristle at the thought of having to plan another thing. However, rest assured that planning in this instance will allow them to have more freedom to do what they want to do.

Take out your calendar or open your calendar app and look at your week. Are there things that you do around the same time each day? For example, if you do your Power Hour in the morning, block off 60 minutes. Or two smaller blocks of 30 minutes and dedicate it to doing your Power Hour. During that time, do not allow distractions to prevent you from doing the task of the block. Resist the urge to do any cleaning, close the curtains, and post a large sign and let everyone in your household know not to bug you unless it’s an absolute emergency. This is your time to work on your business.

You can also use scheduling to help your distractions. For example, if you find yourself distracted by dishes or laundry then set aside time during the day to do those activities. If you know that you plan to address them later, they will be less likely to distract you when you need time to focus on important tasks. Similarly, if you want to enjoy a warm sunny day, put it in your calendar for the day by blocking off 20 or 30  minutes to enjoy the outdoors. This way you know that once you complete your activities you will go and have fun in the sun. If you know that it’s coming you will get done what you need to without distracting you.

Let others in your household who are home at the time that you are working know that it is very important not to distract you during the time you’ve blocked off your productivity. If you schedule a time to start and stop, it can be easier to communicate with them that during the specific time, you may be unavailable, unless it’s an absolute emergency. 

Have a system

One of the biggest keys to success, whether or not you’re fighting distractions, is to have a system to follow. A system gives you the tools to thrive, even in the most distraction-filled environment. When you’re focused on building relationships with people in your network, it is easier to understand what you need to get done each day. You know you have to reach out and follow up with the people in your network. When you decide to do that and how often is up to you. But you know you have to get it done, regardless of the distractions you face. Abiding by a system gives you the permission to face those distractions and say, “I can’t focus on you right now. I need to do my power hour or otherwise work on my business.” 

A system gives you the freedom to focus on what you need to get done instead of succumbing to anything else that tries to demand your attention. It also allows you to know what you need to get done each day to thrive.

Rewards 

Sometimes the best way to overcome a distraction is to reward yourself when you’re successful. This is similar to above where we said to schedule time to give in to some of your distractions. For example, if you have a week of great weather and you work hard for an hour for 4 days of your week, then maybe you spend the afternoon on Friday giving into that distraction, whether it’s going for a very long walk and enjoying the weather or packing a picnic and spending time with loved ones.  After all, it’s easier to avoid distractions when you have something to look forward to later on.

Teamzy makes it easier to avoid distractions

Teamzy helps you avoid distractions by giving you the list of people you need to contact each day. All you have to do is log in, review the list, and get started. There’s no extra thinking involved! If you’re not using Teamzy yet what are you waiting for? Click here to learn more.