The world is full of distractions. Unfortunately, the world also requires us to work. Coping with the first while still doing enough of the second is … sorry, where am I?
Ah, yes, the world is full of distractions. If you work in an office, it might be emails, phone calls or colleagues with questions to ask. If you are at home, it might be the contents of the fridge or a sudden fixation on dust mites (尘螨) under the sofa. Sometimes it takes even less. If you are sitting and doing work and someone near you says something particularly interesting, that can pull your focus.
So, how can we stay focused in our wandering minds? And put your smartphone and other irrelevant screens away—they attract our attention even if they are off. If you tend to pop on headphones and use music to shut out distractions, avoid listening to anything familiar. Knowing the words or tune well will distract you even more.
If you are doing something repetitive like stuffing envelopes or laying bricks, being distracted by listening to music or a podcast or engaging in a conversation with a co-worker can ultimately boost productivity. Jihae Shin, now at the university of Wisconsin-Madison, has found that when people played Minesweeper for five minutes before coming up with new business ideas, they were more creative than those who didn't play.
In general, this is the enemy of productivity: it encourages mistakes, stops us from completing things, promotes forgetfulness and lowers the quality of writing. But when we are trying to come up with creative solutions, task-switching distractions can help prevent "cognitive fixation" on ineffective approaches. So if you are a creative type, try lining up two or more tasks and spend your day switching between them. Or if that doesn't work, just go play with your phone.
A. Not all distractions are bad, however.
B. Switching between tasks can also help.
C. Creativity can benefit from distraction too.
D. Switching off email or messaging services helps.
E. But you are not good at dealing with distractions.
F. If you have trouble concentrating, I suggest you try the following ideas.
G. If you are not careful, you will end up your day with nothing accomplished.
