12 Ways to Cut Out Distractions & Find Focus

Learn how to stop procrastinating, ignore distractions & find focus in your life & business.

Start focusing on your life!

Do you feel overwhelmed (or annoyed) with all the webinars, courses, programs, masterclasses, Facebook Groups & Emails that hit your Inbox or appear on your feed EVERY.DAMN. DAY?  Me too.

I know that there is lots of amazing information in those emails and posts but there are so many that it's impossible to figure out which ONE thing I should actually be doing! In fact, I end up trying to do ALL the things and it's just waaaaaay too much! I do a half-assed job, get overwhelmed and end up getting NOTHING done! 

We are bombarded with messages and advertising all day - emails, radio, tv, apps. emails, websites, Facebook , Instagram, Google Searches, etc, etc These messages are so in our face that they are difficult to ignore. Actually (fun fact😁), most of these ads are targeted directly at us based on our social media & Internet behaviors!

I feel like I spend so much time scrolling and "learning" that it leaves little room for my actual work! ​My inbox is full of coupons, sales pitches and newsletters that I don't even read! We all have our favorites, the ones you never miss & always read, but the rest is just noise. It seems harmless but after awhile it's starts to choke the life out of you!

So what do we do about it?

We turn off the noise, the distractions and filter through all those advertisements and messages so that we can actually get our work done or spend some time with our families!

It's time to shut off all that extra noise and clean out our inbox!! If you are like me these distractions just feed my procrastination and stress!!
 
Here are a few of my favorite tips to help you de-clutter your inbox and clear your mind so you can be your most productive!

1. Make a list - not a huge list but a list that is achievable in a day or week. Be reasonable. Then prioritize the tasks and schedule a time to complete each task based on its priority level. 

2. Focus on one task at a time. I like to batch my work in chunks of time. What this means is that I block off time in my schedule to focus on one task. I set a timer and turn off all distractions - email, phone, kids, etc. Work on that one task for that chunk of time. This is so effective because you do not waste time going back-and-forth between multiple tasks or distractions. 

3. Unsubscribe from email lists that do not serve you (except for me, obviously 😘😬). You can use a program like Unlistr to help you with this.

4. Turn off your phone (like actually power it down). And if you have a landline (I know, I am dating myself!) turn the ringer off!

5. Find an accountability partner or business buddy - someone that you are accountable to and they are accountable to you. 

6.  Stop scrolling!. While social media is AWESOME (obviously!!) it can also be a huge distraction! Take it from someone who spends most of the day on social!! It derails my productivity as well as effects my mood. To combat this distraction, I primarily use is Facebook Business Manager to manage my Facebook Page as well as clients but if you are not using the Business Manager you could try a toolbar extensions, like News Feed Eradicator, to hide your Facebook News Feed. It still allows you to work in groups and on pages just no newsfeed.

7. Do a Facebook and Instagram cleanse. Look at all the Groups and Accounts that you follow. If any of them are no longer relevant or interesting leave the group or unfollow them. This will clean-up your newsfeed and help to to make it so you see more "stuff" that is actually interesting to you!

8. Use a scheduler for your social media. There are many awesome tools out there to help make your social media more efficient so use one of them!! Batch your content creation and your scheduling. Pick a day &get it all done in one shot. I schedule content on Sundays, create it on Mondays. This frees up my week to focus on other activities and client work without having to worry about my social media. I have made a list of my favorite free (or really affordable) social media tools. 
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9. Be prepared! We all are busy not just in business but also in life. What I have found is that the more prepared I am for the things I can control the more successful I am.Not just in business but in your personal life too. Meal plan and order your groceries online to save time. I even batch cook my food for the week on Sundays!  

10. Put your phone away. When I am not working I try to make a conscious effort not to be on my phone. I don't want my children to remember me as distracted and always on the phone. I shut my ringer off and only check-in on my accounts at certain times of the day. 

11. Clean out your inbox. Make sure that you read that email ASAP. When you leave it in your inbox with the intention of reading it later it just ends up taking up space. 

12. Give yourself permission to not be available 24/7. Just because we are so accessible via technology it does not mean that you have to be. One of my favorite tricks that I learned is to include an out-of -office reply on my email stating that I only check in 2x/day. This establishes a timeline, people know you are not always on your email and therefore do not expect an instant reply. Genius!!

I am not perfect and I have to conscientiously choose to focus and ignore distractions every.damn.day! But it has made all the difference!

Be intentional with your time. The more prepared you are the more likely you are to succeed! 

I'd love to hear how you stay on task and shut off all the distractions!! Share in the comments. 

Have a great week everyone!

Melanie 

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Cut out the distractions & find more focus.