7 Tips to Ditch Distractions

Structure is the name of the game when it comes to ditching distractions. It might sound restricting; I mean you left your 9-5, so you could be free, right!? Well, if you can obey your own rules and work your butt off for fixed time slots throughout your day (without giving in to procrastination), then you’ll have extra hours of freedom and adventure, EVERY DAY. Some of these tips might seem like common sense, but we promise if you really implement them (knowing about them is not enough), your productivity will go through the roof!!

1. Get off Facebook.

I know, that’s asking a lot. But if you set up RescueTime on your computer for a week and it tells you how many hours you’ve spent on Facebook, you’d see why we’re asking you to do this. Imagine what you could do for your business with all of the time you’ve spent scrolling on Facebook! Change your habit. Instead of going to the site when you’re procrastinating or bored with your task, schedule a 15-minute window every day for Facebook. Knowing you only have 15 minutes will force you to work quickly. It’s tempting, but knowing what an old high school friend named her baby will not benefit your business. Try out this new IS IT IMPORTANT FOR MY BUSINESS? mentality. If you want to connect with friends on Facebook, save it for non-work hours.

2. Turn your phone on DO NOT DISTURB and move it off your desk.

Periscope, texts from friends, Instagram, Cartwheel sales at Target…what do all of these things have in common? They are on your phone and they all stop you from get your work done! The answer is simple, put your phone out of your reach when you’re working on an important project (or, just all day long). My phone is currently hanging out across the office from me, in a window sill. BOOM! I can concentrate. If you’re concerned someone might need to get a hold of you for an emergency or you have incoming work phone calls, then keep it closer. But, as a general rule, your eyes don’t need to be focusing on two screens at once; one will do.

3. Do not work through lunch.

There are no awards, or rewards for that matter, for being a work-a-holic. It’s AMAZING what a 10-minute or dare we say 1-hour!!! break will do for you. It’s better for your brain, back, productivity and sanity if you work in shorter, intense spurts. Crank it out for an hour or two and then take a little break. Do this a few times throughout the day if possible. If not, make sure to at least take your lunch break so you can get some nourishment and a fresh outlook on your tasks when you return to work.

4. Check and respond to emails only two times/day.

This is a GAME-CHANGER! If you’re answering emails all day long, how are you supposed to get any work done? Instead, schedule two time spots during your day (morning and evening works great) where you get in your inbox, take care of your clients and other relationships, and then get out quickly. Email can be a huge time suck for so many reasons. If you’re struggling with this aspect of your business, check out the replay of Jesse’s online workshop HERE, for some hot tips to cut your email time in half.

5. Schedule weekly times for household tasks.

Laundry used to be my nemesis. Especially, because we work from home. Every time I got up to do something, I felt like, “Well, there it is just sitting there all rumpled, I guess I should put another load of laundry in.” I was literally doing laundry all day, every day. And for me, knowing laundry and other household tasks were just lingering around, waiting for me, REALLY put the kibosh on my productivity. Now, we set aside certain days of the week for these tasks and I can focus when I’m at work because I know I have time for them.

6. Save favorite tasks for last, so you have something to look forward to.

Ever wake up in the morning, do all the work you’ve been looking forward to and then not really feel like you’re in the mood to do the stuff that’s not your favorite work? I have. Work doesn’t always have to be WORK. Make it a game. If you finish tasks X, Y & Z before lunch tomorrow, then you get to publish that blog post you’ve been so excited about. Sometimes those nitty gritty tasks aren’t as bad as we’ve made them out to be. We’ve just been putting them off for so long, they’ve turned into ugly monsters in our heads.

7. Get outside (of your office).

This is one of our favorites. Being an entrepreneur means you have the freedom to do weekend-like activities on a Wednesday, if you want. Take a nice loooooooong lunch break and do something you love. Get out of your head. Have coffee with a friend. Exercise. Get a change of scenery. These are the times when I get my best ideas! Maybe the same is true for you? A surf sesh can do wonders for your mind, soul and productivity.

All of these things will help you be way less distracted, way more productive and BONUS!, way less overwhelmed. Give them a whirl. Let us know what helps you the most!