Practical Tips in Managing Distractions

1) Too Many Notifications — 5 Key Tips

1. Turn off unnecessary alerts: Check your phone and computer settings. Turn off notifications for social media, news, and promotional apps. Keep only important alerts like calendar events and calls.

2. Use Focus or Do Not Disturb: Set specific times each day (like 10:00–12:00) to focus without interruptions. Allow notifications only from your favorite contacts.

3. Group notifications: Set up your device to give you a summary of notifications 3 times a day (like iOS Notification Summary or Android Notification Digests).

4. Silence during meetings: Automatically mute notifications when you’re in Outlook or Teams meetings.

5. Separate work and personal apps: Use one device or profile for work apps and another for personal apps (like Android Work Profile or iOS Focus with app filters).

2) Random Interruptions — 5 Key Tips

1. Show a “Focus” signal: Change your status on Teams to Do Not Disturb and add a message (like “Focusing from 10:00–11:30; message me only if urgent”).

2. Protect your time with a calendar: Block out 2–3 time slots each day for focused work and mark yourself as busy.

3. Use an “urgent vs. non-urgent” rule: If a colleague needs something urgent, they can call you. Everything else can wait until your next check-in.

4. Create a Parking Lot: Keep a visible list (like a sticky note or in OneNote) for ideas and non-urgent tasks to review later, such as at lunch or the end of the day.

5. Quick check-ins: Save up questions and have a 10-minute meeting in the morning and afternoon instead of interrupting each other throughout the day.

3) Mental Clutter — 5 Key Tips

1. Daily Mind Sweep (5 minutes): Clear your mind by writing everything down in one place (like OneNote, Notion, or Apple Notes).

2. Use one trusted system: Avoid scattered lists. Keep a single “Inbox” and a few specific lists (like Deep Work, Admin, Errands).

3. Define the next action: For each task, write what you need to do using a verb and an object (like “Email Sam draft v2”), instead of vague terms (like “Presentation”).

4. Use the 2-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than 2 minutes, do it right away; otherwise, write it down with a due date or time block.

5. Weekly Review (30 minutes): Go through your inbox, clean up tasks, plan your work for the next quarter, and reset your priorities.

4) Constantly Checking Email — 5 Key Tips

1. Check your inbox in batches: Look at your email at set times (like 11:00, 14:30, and 16:30) and close Outlook in between.

2. Turn off pop-ups: Disable desktop alerts and preview panes that can distract you.

3. Use rules and VIP settings: Automatically sort newsletters; highlight emails from your boss or important projects; color-code emails by importance.

4. Apply the 4Ds: Decide to Delete junk, Delegate (forward with context), Do tasks that take less than 2 minutes, or Defer (schedule a time to handle it later).

5. Write emails to get fewer replies: Use clear subject lines ([Action][Info][FYI]), bullet points, focus on one topic per email, and suggest options with deadlines.

5) Phone Distractions — 5 Key Tips

1. Keep your phone away: Put it in a drawer or another room during focus time; use a physical timer on your desk instead.

2. Change to grayscale and remove distractions: Set your screen to grayscale; move social media apps off the home screen; log out after each use.

3. Set app limits: Limit social media use to 30–45 minutes a day; require a passcode to extend this time.

4. Use Focus Mode with an allow-list: Only allow calls from your favorite contacts and calendar reminders; silence everything else.

5. Start with a Pomodoro: Work for 25 minutes without your phone, then reward yourself with a 5-minute check.

In the comments, share which tip(s) you will try to reduce distractions!