Distractions are everywhere at work. All you need to do is sit down at your desk, and it doesn’t take long for someone to interrupt you with a question. Even when there’s no one else around, we are bombarded with constant virtual pings from new messages and emails all day long.
It’s little wonder that our focus at work is slipping. Employees are interrupted on average every two minutes during core work hours, according to Microsoft’s most recent Work Trend Index.
That’s a whopping 275 distractions a day by meetings, emails or chats – and that doesn’t even count Chris sliding their chair over for a casual gossip.
By now most of us have heard the standard advice for how to focus better – like switching off notifications or banishing our phone to another room – but there are some counterintuitive ways to get a competitive advantage at work that can help you focus better on the task at hand.
1. Stop working when you’re distracted
This might sound contrary to everything you believe but the next time your mind starts to wander as you’re trying to complete something, just stop. Quit the urge to keep fighting your way back to focus, and take a break instead.
Consistent research has found that putting your attention elsewhere – from grabbing a biscuit to going for a walk – can help you return to a task with a more focused mind.
Instead of getting frustrated every time you feel your mind wandering, stop trying to stubbornly push through it and just give up, for a little while at least. The simple trick of giving yourself permission to release the pressure can do wonders for your future motivation.
2. Rope a friend in to help
We tend to think that to concentrate we need to strip everyone else from our sight, but the opposite can also be true. From accountability buddies to ‘body doubles’, having other people around you can actually be motivating when it comes to getting things done.
Whenever I want to concentrate deeply, like when I’m writing a book or even this column, I put on the same playlist.
You are more likely to achieve something when you share the specific outcome with other people. If you tell a colleague or friend that you’re finally going to finish that report you’re constantly avoiding, then the positive effect of accountability might actually help you get it done.
There’s also emerging data on the concept of ‘body doubling’, particularly for people with ADHD. This refers to what happens when people work in parallel with each other to complete the same tasks, like group studying sessions where you sit together to all do similar things. This idea of ‘soft accountability’ has been shown to give visible nudges that help you stay on task.
3. Use all your senses
Sometimes we just need to trick our brain into doing what we want, and tapping into your senses is one of them. We have five of them – smell, hearing, taste, sight and touch – and you should pick one of them to link it with concentrating time.
A well-worn example is playing music to get you into the right mood, but you can extend it to any of the senses. Light a candle, prepare a hot tea, sit at your favourite desk or even play around with a stress ball. Whatever you choose, associate a sense with a task and you’re more likely to lock in to complete it.
Whenever I want to concentrate deeply, like when I’m writing a book or even this column, I put on the same playlist. For years, it was the Australian twang of Missy Higgins who would send me into a trance, no matter where I was or how many times I listened to her albums.
There is no magic trick that allows some people to rapidly tick through their to-do lists while others feel scattered by constant distractions. Focusing is a series of small habits you can practice any day. You don’t need any more willpower to complete them, just an open mind to think about it in a fresh light.
Tim Duggan is the author of Work Backwards, Cult Status and Killer Thinking. He co-founded Junkee Media and writes a monthly newsletter called OUTLET.