Turn It Off

Picture by Celal Teber

Right now! Or ... once you finish reading this blog and are ready to get to start your day. "What is IT?" you wonder? To be honest, I don't know. It depends. IT depends on who you are and what distracts you most. It could be anything from a beeping cell phone, to a stable Internet connection (my big vice) to a TV in the background. But whatever it is, it's not making you more relaxed or more efficient.

We face more distractions in our daily lives now than ever before. The stuff is meant to distract us and draw us away from what we're doing. We get phone calls and emails that need to be answered instantly. The commercials on TV or in magazines try their best to grab our attention and keep it long enough for us to consider buying whatever they're selling. To get away from all of this, it's not enough to just ignore the distraction (as my husband can tell you), you need to eliminate it altogether.

I'm one of those people who rarely gets emails, but when I do, I hear a lovely 'ding' on my computer and a little message pops up to alert me right away. Conscientious as I am, I don't leave people waiting before I read their message (not that I know, and I rarely answer right away), but check it immediately. Now I'm here anyways, I might as well check my stats too and maybe type of a quick note... and it has started. I've fallen into the trap and it'll take me anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes (no kidding) to get back on track. Not efficient, if you ask me.

So the next time, I turn off my phone (people have gotten used to my non-responsiveness over time, the same will happen to you!), disconnect my Internet (aaaaaaaah) and turn off every program on my computer I don't really need to work. 
I even have to do this if I want to do something I like, like reading a book. Even though this is an activity I thoroughly enjoy, I still need to cut out distractions so I can stay focused. 

 If you make it a habit to turn off your distractions, even if it's only for fifteen minutes at a time, it'll become much easier to get into the work-zone and stay focused.

Any more tips on cutting out distractions? I'd love to hear what you think!