How to Stay More Focused Throughout the Day

By Chuck Fenwick

How to Improve Productivity and Stay on Track

Recently, I read that it takes 23 minutes to re-focus after an interruption. Yes, 23 minutes! At first, that sounded absolutely insane. But then I gave it some thought – and it made sense. 

When I get a non-urgent phone call, I typically spend a few minutes checking my text messages, then I pop over to check my email, then I slide into Facebook. And before I know it, I’ve just wasted more than 20 minutes doing, well, doing nothing, really. 

If you are distracted 7 times during the day, you will spend about 2.5 hours just trying to refocus yourself. 

We are surrounded by distractions all day long. And we have to actively work to eliminate them and stay focused. 

Here are a few tactics I use to increase my productivity and spend less time refocusing.

Turn Off All Notifications

Yes, you read that correctly! Turning off your notifications may seem scary, but it’s necessary. I have all my notifications turned off except for calls from my family and staff. I turned off email, social media, texts, phone calls, and all other app notifications throughout the day. This has been an absolute game-changer for my productivity. 

If you think this seems selfish, I promise you it is not. Notifications do not care about your schedule, your priorities, or what you have to do for the day. If there is a true emergency, someone will find a way to reach you. 

This doesn’t mean that everyone and everything else isn’t important. I choose to check my phone during specific times of the day to respond to texts and other messages properly.

Limit Checking Your Inbox

I check my email twice daily – once at 10:30 a.m. and once at 3:30 p.m. Our organization does not use email as a primary form of communication, so this works well for my team and me. 

This habit has helped me immensely. Email can be such a time suck! So instead of getting distracted multiple times throughout the day, I devote a specific amount of time to reading and answering emails daily. 
I recommend not checking your email first thing in the morning. Sometimes emails can derail the plan you have set for the day. Start with something intentional! Check your email later in the morning or early in the afternoon.

Schedule Uninterrupted Work Blocks

It’s common in the workplace to schedule time on your calendar for a meeting. Why not apply this to uninterrupted work time, too? If you have a big project, you need to work on or a few miscellaneous tasks, schedule a chunk of time on your calendar to devote to making some progress. 

The trick here is to treat it with the same priority as a meeting. Technically, it is a meeting, it’s just a meeting with yourself. So try not to cancel unless you absolutely do not have a choice.

Set Timers for Your Breaks

Staying focused doesn’t mean you have to work for 8 solid hours without taking a break. Intentional breaks help remain focused throughout the day. Sometimes it’s easy to let your break continue on longer than you anticipated. To prevent this from happening, set a timer on your phone! Try a few shorter breaks, around five minutes, every hour or so. Be sure to prioritize your lunch break, too!

Keep me updated!

If you try any of these tips, I want to know! Send me a text and let me know which one works best for your daily routine.