Distractions are gateways to procrastination. If you can eliminate them, you can meaningfully reduce procrastination. Distractions can be internal, like a thought, or external, like a text message. It helps to consider the two types separately.

External Distractions

Modern life is full of external distractions. To deal with them, you must first identify which ones affect you. The list of potential distractions is endless, but the following are common:

• Television.
• Email.
• The Internet.
• Smart Phones.
• Social Media.
• The News.
• Video Games.

Some external distractions are painfully obvious, like an overly chatty colleague, but others are disguised with the cloak of importance, like an email notification. A helpful method to identify distractions is to write down every time you change what you are doing in a day and note the time you did so. Review the list at the end of the day and consider how much time you spent on each task before changing to the next. Look for distractions, inefficiencies and unhelpful changes between different tasks.

Once you know what commonly distracts you from tasks, figure out ways to work around or eliminate them. It can help to:

• Plan your day.
• Set times in your day to deal with inevitable sources of distraction so they don’t bother you at other times, for example:
  • Check your email daily at 9 am and 4 pm and have your email service closed otherwise.
  • Talk to people that could cause or prevent potential distractions and tell them you are unavailable at certain times of the day when you need to focus.
  • Block out focus time in your calendar each day to work on tasks requiring extended focus.
  • Make all your phone calls or respond to all your emails in one block at a designated time.
  • Schedule less complex tasks for the times that you know unpreventable distractions will arise.
• If you work in a location where noise can be a distraction, try the following to block out distracting sounds:
  • White noise, like the hum of a fan or air-conditioner, can block out distracting sounds.
  • Noise-canceling headphones.
  • Music to help you concentrate. There are specially designed playlists to help with focus on work and study.
• De-clutter your desk and your digital workspace.
• Remove all non-work items from your workspace.
• If possible, have a workspace that is separate from your non-work space.