Jan R.
You need to create the habit. At the beginning you will be able to focus and maintain that focus for not so long. But if you lose focus, then go back to it, with compassion, dont get angry at yourself. You are just learning and creating a habit. Then with the time you will be able to focus more and more and one day you will achieve the flow state. And thats what you aim for ( flow state is when you are so focused and productive that time flies by!)
Enas N.
I write my distracting thought/thing on a piece of paper (as a "I promise I'll get back to you later"), get up and stretch a little, then go back to what I was doing.
Carla N.
Once I realize this state, I step back from my work and my table. I move away to take a breather and relax. I try to set a time for this though because if I get too indulged, I can't possibly return to work. What I do mostly are reading books or articles, playing games, or making tea. And then, back to work!
Teresa J.
Well, if I really can't focus, I guess my brain and body does really need a break so I go get one. It's better to be relaxed and focused rather than pushing it too much and the lose it the next day or something.
Jordan X.
I've never stop focusing from the work, i just take few moments for reviewing my work but only after a little break that helps me to be more critics for what i did
Jaime G.
I sometimes simply cannot. It just won't happen. I have ADHD, so focus chooses me, rather than other way around. As I don't have a neurotypical brain, it's diffucult to answer, but I can say, taking 30 mind time out alone a silent room, with nothing on and doing nothing, but think can save me a major meltdown. And when I really know I'm just not going to make it happen, the best thing I can do is leave the building, reset, rather than refocus and just start over.. If I try too hard, it makes even harder to start. It a "zone" with ADHD and there is no demanding it's appearance. Sometimes the best I can do is hope my hyperfocus kicks in on time.. That's doesn't always happen.. Especially if things are going to easily. So it's "RESET" type of dynamic I look for to refocus.
Ansgar E.
I first let myself take notice and sit with this realization. Then I make sure to write it down in my interruptions list. Then I write (in detail) what I still need to do.
Maxine T.
I take 5 slow, deep breaths. I forgive myself. I make a note of what caused the distraction, I fully remember what I was supposed to work on, turn the timer back on and try again.
Victoria N.
Keep a distraction log. When you realize you have lost focus, write down the time & the distraction. That way you can come back to the thought later and refocus your mind on the task at hand.
Stefania Z.
I write down the distraction and just go back to what I was doing without judgement, all is not lost yet!
Just like meditation I think we have to accept that we can get distracted sometimes but we can postpone the distraction and go back to what we were doing
Just like meditation I think we have to accept that we can get distracted sometimes but we can postpone the distraction and go back to what we were doing
Anita X.
If it's an external distraction then I add it to my list of distractions and mute it. If I just got distracted by my own thoughts then I write it down in a notebook, put the notebook aside and get back to work.
Rae P.
A good first step is realizing you are distracted in the first place (hopefully sooner than later). I normally would tell myself that getting distracted is okay, but then block the distraction out. If the distraction is social media, put your phone in another room. This has been scientifically proven to help people concentrate more. Give yourself a minute to adjust to block out the distraction, then mentally note how long you want to work on the task at hand. Going from there, you do whatever necessary to complete the task. Hope this helps! -Rae
Asmaa P.
I've learned that my phone will always be a distraction, so I always turn off the sound. And when I'm distracted by something else, I like to give the distraction some attention and get it out of the way, so if I need to answer a text, I just do it and get it over with. If something comes up that needs my immediate attention, I try to also get that out of the way. The sooner i clear things up and make it known that I'm in the middle of doing something, the sooner I can get back to my work. With deep work, when I get distracted, it's like a reset button, I have to start all over again and keep my focus on the task at hand for a minimum of 25 min. So if I go off and go on my phone, I owe myself another 25min of continuous work.