Why Focus is Your Competitive Advantage at Work (plus 19 ways to actually do it)

 44% of work distractions are self-inflicted and another 23% come from emails.

That means you have complete control to cut out (or at least drastically reduce) 67% of the productivity-killing distractions that derail your entire workday.

The number one skill that will set you apart from 99% of the world’s highly distractible knowledge workers is the ability to ruthlessly single-task. 

1. When you work on one thing at a time, you tend to work on the right things, because you have to plan your tasks.
2. When you single-task you accomplish more in less time with less stress. Intentionally focusing on one task at a time has been proven the most efficient way to move through your to-do list.

• Turn off notifications or at least turn on priority notifications.The time and mental focus lost in attention-switching even for a second adds up throughout the day.
• Use two computers - one for doing work and productive things, the other to do unproductive work.
• Only keep one tab open at time. 

  It’s a concrete way to make sure that you’re only working on what you intentionally decided to be working on.

• Use several separate desktop spaces as an alternative to one tab. One for communication, the other for different projects planned for the day.

• Work offline whenever possible.

• Schedule your email time. 

  Handle any emails that will take 2-minutes or less. Add everything else to your to-do list to focus on later.

• Keep a to-do list with focused, actionable items.
• Visualize your to-do’s one at a time.
• Schedule your daily to-do’s. Each task gets a specific time slot when you’ll only work on that one item on your list.
• Create unrealistically short deadlines to  force you to stay focused.
• Keep a timer on your tasks.Tracking how you spend your time at work forces you to commit to one task at a time.
• Theme your days. By doing this, you give your mind clues as to what to place precedence on each day.

• Add interruptions to your to-do list to come back to later.
• Keep a “read later” list. whenever you come across a tempting article.
• Keep a “bright ideas” repository. Instead of following up on your ideas immediately, keep a running list of thoughts you want to come back to later.
• Set aside exploratory time for your “read later” and “bright ideas” lists.

• Trying to focus on more than one thing at a time reduces your productivity by as much as 40%. That’s the cognitive equivalent of pulling an all-nighter.
• The average desk job employee loses 2.1 hours a day to distractions and interruptions. That adds up to over a full day of work every week.
• On average, employees who do the majority of their work on computers are distracted every 10.5 minutes.
• Being distracted by incoming calls or emails can lower employees’ IQ by as much 10 points.
•  44% of those work distractions are self-inflicted and another 23% come from emails.
  

There is always a temptation to multi-task that will interfere with your focus.

• Take regular breaks throughout the day. Studies have shown that the longer we work without the breaks, the more prone to distraction we become.
• Forgive yourself when your day doesn’t go as planned. Redouble your resolve to put the single-tasking strategies into practice.

• you tend to work on the right things. Effective single-tasking requires planning. Starting your day without a plan is just asking for distraction and inefficiency.
• you accomplish more in less time with less stress: Intentionally focusing on one task at a time has been proven the most efficient way to move through your to-do list.

1. Cutting out distractions.
2. Make a single-tasking plan you’ll actually stick to.
3. Dealing with unavoidable distractions.
4. Getting back on track when you’ve fallen off the single-tasking band wagon.

• Use apps that block online distractions.
• Turn off notifications and see the difference in your productivity.
• Use two computers: one for the things that are distracting and one for the focused work.
• Only keep one tab open at time.
• Use separate desktop spaces.
•  Work offline whenever possible.
• Schedule your email time.

• Keep a to-do list with focused, actionable items.
• Visualize your to-do’s one at a time, by writing them on sticky notes.
• Schedule your daily to-do’s.
• Create unrealistically short deadlines: it forces you to stay focused.
• Keep a timer on your tasks.
• Theme your days.

• Procrastinate on purpose: you can limit distractions' impact on your productivity by simply adding them to your to-do list to come back to later.
• Keep a “read later” list for the helpful articles you come across.
• Keep a “bright ideas” repository: keep a running list of thoughts you want to come back to later (using an app or paper).
• Set aside exploratory time. Unfocused, agenda-free thinking time is essential for creativity and professional development.

• Take regular breaks throughout the day. Our brains simply did not evolve to focus on one thing for extended periods of time - the longer we work without the breaks, the more prone to distraction we become.
• Forgive yourself when your day doesn’t go as planned. Ruminating on the past one of the least productive things you can do.