Earlyface

5 Ways To Fight Distractions in School. Wikipedia describes Distraction, thus:

Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from the desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. Distraction is caused by: the lack of ability to pay attention; lack of interest in the object of attention; or the great intensity, novelty or attractiveness of something other than the object of attention. Distractions come from both external sources, and internal sources.

We all know without doubt that it’s easy to get distracted – especially when you’re juggling a lot of projects. The secret to staying productive is recognizing the moments of distraction and immediately getting back on track.

You see, there are distractions all around us – and there are plenty of excuses on why we’re not finishing up a project that has been sitting on our “to
do” list. So how can we fight distractions.

1. Determination

Being determined goes a long way to help. Someone who has set his sights on a particular goal and is determined to fight off distractions to reach that goal, is more likely to be successful, than someone who has no determination and is willing to let himself be pushed in any direction at all.

2. Know the source
What keeps you distracted? Keep a list of items that trigger distractions for you (e.g. clicking a web browser, visiting Linda Ikeji, reading email, Facebook, Twitter etc.). Keep this list top of mind so you recognize the trigger that is leading you to distraction. Identifying distractions is key to stopping them.

3. Blur out Everything else

Once you know what distracts you,  it’s time to get hyper-focused to accomplish your projects. For me, this means putting on ear phones and listening to sounds of the ocean or rain (to block out all external noises). Second, it means turning facebook off and closing down all windows except for the one program or window I need. Third, it means putting my phone in a drawer so that I don’t see any text messages or know that anyone is calling. The only way to get in the zone to accomplish your goals is to zone out everything else.

4. Set daily goals for yourself.
If you want to stay focused on your projects, you need to set goals for yourself with specific time-frames. Not setting specific goals within a certain time-frame is the reason why we end up with items on our “to do” list that we never accomplish. And not having concrete goals makes it easier to get distracted. So set your goals – and accomplish them. No excuses.

5. Recognize the moments you get distracted and get back on task.
Look, you’re going to get distracted no matter how hard you try to stay on task – especially if you are at home or school. Your phone can ring, friends, colleagues or neighbours can drop by, etc. Even while writing this article, my attention was diverted by a BBM message  that looked interesting enough to start reading it. Within 15 seconds of reading it, I realized the distraction and got back to this article. The key is recognizing the distraction and getting back to work.