It is no secret that attention spans have been decreasing over the years. The length of our attention varies based on age, topic, situation, and the degree to which we use social media (you’re shocked right?) but many studies report it is as low as 8 seconds. That means that even in the time you took to read those two sentences your focus has likely waivered. This is insane but I have no doubt in its validity.
We are literally set up to be distracted in life. Consider for a moment the first hour of your workday. You’re opening email, starting your Slack, Teams, or messenger apps. You grab your coffee and greet friends and coworkers. Then you try to find your top priority from the day before and get all the ‘quick questions’ from those around you. There is no way for your focus to remain steady with all of that going on. If you work from home, forget it! On top of all of that you have the dishes that never got put away, the laundry that needs to be switched, and the dog that needs to go out. I’m not saying you won’t be productive but with all of those distractions vying for your attention but imagine for a moment just how productive you could be without them.
Keeping focus in spite of it all
When I started working from home, I knew I needed to find all the hacks to keep me focused. This was March of 2020 after all, and I had all of the usual work distractions with the increase of the social discussion of the pandemic. Add to that having a husband home, two school aged kids, and a toddler in my new workspace, not to mention selling our house and moving in the next few months. There was a lot to be distracted by, but my work requires focus during meetings and in the brief periods I get to actually complete focus work. How did I do it? I’m glad you asked.
Desired Rewards
I am a psych person, so I know that rewarding yourself for a job well done is essential. Even when the reward doesn’t sound particularly rewarding, it will help you accomplish what you need to. I would do things like allow myself to sweep the kitchen or play cards with the kids based on how much time I spent focusing. This was an added bonus because I could tell the kids the plan. This helped them to allow me to focus during the time I had designated. As time wore on and the kids and husband were back to their normal routine the rewards changed. I now get to have flavored water after responding to X number of emails. I will listen to a podcast while walking the dog, only if I finished the project I wanted done.
The key was to be realistic with what I expected and stick with it. If I didn’t get what I wanted accomplished, plain water it was. On the flip side, I tried (and still a work in progress) to be realistic on what I would accomplish. For example, there was no way I’d have a polished presentation in 90 minutes. I could however have a draft done in 75 and take the rest of the time for that walk, to switch the laundry or whatever I had decided the treat was. It is easier to keep my hands off my phone or keep my eyes off of my messages when I know that there is something I want more waiting for me.
Realistic Boundaries
In the beginning, with everyone home, the day had to look different. It was unrealistic to think I would stick to my typical hours with three kids, all in single digit ages, home. I worked out with my team and boss that it would be split hours. I worked before the kids were up, was offline for breakfast and lunch, and done by 4 to play. That meant that I had to do a few meetings where I had rewards planned for the kids to be quiet. I also worked with laser focus in the early morning and during nap time. Those boundaries made it abundantly clear when I needed to keep my focus and I could communicate those to my boss, team, and family.
These days, boundaries look more like working from home on the days that I need to get my kids early. This allows more time for work because I don’t have the commute and less stress for my family. Another boundary is that I run or work out during lunch. I’m also done in time to pick my kids up from daycare. These might seem pretty basic, but I never want to feel guilty doing them. If I have focused hard and completed what I set out to in the time planned to work, I don’t give it a second thought when I sign off in the afternoon or evening.
Honest Reflection
Reflection is probably the most critical tool in staying focused. You can reflect and give yourself a little feedback in just a few seconds. In the time it takes me to make a snack, change to my running gear, or just run to the bathroom, I can do a little self-assessment of if I’m hitting the mark I planned to. The key is to be honest not move the mark of success. Don’t make excuses for yourself or add to what should be done based on where you’re at to that point. Give yourself objective feedback on how you’re doing.
For me, in the beginning of the pandemic this looked like literally a few seconds and giving myself a pass/fail grade. There was no judgement, no excuse, just clarity on where I was at. At this stage in the game, with a couple of years under my belt, it is only slightly more thorough. Did I complete what I set out to? Was I distracted by unnecessary things? Did I reward myself the way I said I would? I don’t dwell on the past, but I can adjust in the next block of time based on the answers to those questions.
Can you regain focus once it’s lost?
Yes, but it takes work. Here’s the thing, when you get distracted and start doing something that is more enjoyable, even for a minute, you get a dopamine hit. It really doesn’t take long before you’ve created this habit that feels better than what you were doing before. Meaning, if your phone distracted you in the first place just telling yourself you’re not going to keep looking at it won’t be enough because now your hormones are craving it.
Use your reflection from above to give yourself some honest feedback. Are you meeting what you said you would to get your reward? Well, maybe you don’t get that second cup of coffee or walk with the dog. Did you commit to finishing a draft of the presentation before starting the laundry? Then maybe that load is on hold. If you said you’d get through 7 items on your to-do list before lunch it legitimately might have to wait. I am all for grace so I’m not saying to beat yourself up over it but hold yourself to high expectations and meet them.
Take firm action after larger reflection
Consider what your most consistent distraction is. If we’re honest with ourselves I think we all know what is most likely to pull us away. If you’re really not sure, taking the above steps for a week will help you narrow it down.
Once you have a good idea of what is stealing your focus, make changes. If a need for constant snacks is pulling you away from the taxing work you don’t want to do, say No. Say No out loud to the snack and walk away. I can’t imagine something that feels sillier than that, but it works. If your phone is drawing you in, physically turn it off or put it in your bag or another room. If you can’t seem to get through that project you’re working on because your email keeps pinging, close the application. I’m serious, close it out. If you’re in an office and people keep stopping over, reserve a conference room and go sit in silence.
There are lots of things you can do to correct the actual distraction that is coming your way, once you’ve identified it. That identification and awareness are really the most important parts. Keep working at it with concrete actions, not just saying you’ll do better. You’ll be shocked and just how much more you’re getting accomplished.