You’re desperately trying to focus on writing your presentation for that deadline looming ahead of you. Somehow your mind has other plans and is off imagining what you’re going to have for lunch. Maybe you’re planning your holiday instead? Frustrating as it might be, this happens to all of us. How to stop getting distracted starts with understanding a bit about the mind. 

The Mind Craves Stimulation 

If you’ve ever spoken to someone whose eyes are constantly darting in all directions, you’ll know what I mean. It’s even more obvious on zoom but people think they’re hiding it. You can’t hide the fact that you’re being distracted by your environment. In fact, the brain loves its dopamine and is constantly scanning around you for something more exciting and fun to do. 

The flip side of all this is that your brain is also scanning your world for any potential threats. After all, that’s how it keeps you alive or at least surviving through a dull lecture. It’s actually very clever that it’s designed this way, almost like some sort of surveillance device. Yes, your brain is designed to be distracted. 

So, how to stop getting distracted and improve your focus? Or is that the wrong question? 

Perhaps the question should be how to work with your brain and be more intentional in how we place our attention? 

Increase your Mental Focus 

How many people do you know who seem to thrive on multitasking? Interestingly, it’s actually physically impossible to multitask. What your mind is doing instead is switching between tasks so quickly that you think you’re doing them at the same time. The mind is very good at deluding us and making us believe what we want. 

Nevertheless, you can help yourself when it comes to considering how to stop getting distracted. Some tips from neuroscience, for example, include never multitasking, removing temptations such as social media and finding the right structure for your day. You do this by first observing your natural energy flow during the day and working out which time of day is better suited to hard versus easy tasks. 

Most things in life are about balance. So, yes, structure is useful but so is a bit of freedom. Being in flow when it seems that all time has stopped because you’re so focused on what you’re doing is an incredible experience. It’s almost as if you’re on another plane separate from this world, perhaps even separate from your body. This flow, according to psychologist Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi, is one way to find happiness. In this flow, you’ve found the perfect balance between leveraging your skills and learning with effortlessness. 

Anyone can experience the traits of flow. Once in that state, mental focus simply happens. 

Some Tips on How to Stop Getting Distracted 

There’s no quick answer because the mind is designed to be distracted. Nevertheless, mindfulness and meditation are obvious choices to become more aware of the mind’s habits. Even distractions are habits and the mind will tend to one versus another. Then again, there are also some simple tricks like writing notes when listening to someone talking in a meeting. Of course, you can’t always do that so here are some other ideas: 

1- Trace back the thought trail

The short answer on how to stop getting distracted is to practice, practice, practice. You first start noticing the distractions and where you stopped the thought cycle. Then, try to trace it back to the trigger that created the distraction. You won’t be able to at first but with time, you’ll start noticing when the distraction starts such that you can bring the mind back before it gets lost.

2- Set intentions 

We all get caught up in the endless loops of thoughts and distractions so that by the end of the day, there’s a whirlwind going on in your head. It sounds simple but simply pausing at certain points during the day and reminding yourself to be mindful is useful in the long run. You then set the intention to focus, perhaps in short chunks of time interspaced with quick and easy rewards. 

3- Practice curiosity 

If you’re curious about something, you’re more likely to be focused on it. You might be exploring and asking questions or simply doing something under trial and error. Clearly, curiosity can also be a distraction but if you’re trying to focus on a specific task or person, try to be curious about it or them. 

So, for example, ask yourself what’s really going on in that person’s present moment. Could you imagine being them? On the flip side, if you’re focusing on a task, be curious about all the different ways you could tackle the task. How would someone very different to you approach it? A good tool to practice this is Bono’s thinking hats which give you a range of lenses. 

What’s Your Next Choice of Action? 

How are you going to stop getting distracted? Are you going to explore mindfulness and curiosity? Perhaps you can simply start by turning off your phone notifications and structuring your day around your energy flow? Whatever it is, start with baby steps and keep practising. You’ll appreciate the effort in the long run.