Remedies for the distracted mind

Adam Gazzaley and Larry Rosen make a convincing case for what you may have already been thinking: your brain is not well adjusted to our engaging—and distracting—modern world. This is a summary of their article http://behavioralscientist.org/remedies-distracted-mind/

We are all faced with a constant stream of distractions and interruptions. In the workplace a seemingly brief interruption can lead to nearly half an hour off task. Disrupted work may be completed faster but at the cost of a higher workload, more stress, higher frustration, more time pressure, and increased effort.

How to overcome this? Begin by setting up your work environment to avoid being distracted and interrupted. This is the most difficult and challenging part of the process. Limit yourself to a single screen. Yes, multiple screens are nice for spreading out your work, but they create distractions. In addition, put away all nonessential work materials on your desk, leaving only paper materials that you absolutely need to complete a task. The next step is to decide which programs or apps you are going to need open to complete the task and close down all others. Don’t just minimize them: really shut them down. Because of its ubiquity, email has proven to be a special case in aggravating a Distracted Mind. You may find it difficult to shut email down, but it is essential that you do so to remove the temptation to respond to the “ding” alert of an incoming message.

Let’s face it: working on critical assignments can be boring sometimes, especially when the alternative is so much more appealing. One strategy to decrease boredom while working on an assignment is to spend some of your computer time standing rather than sitting. Another strategy is to gradually increase time on task before allowing yourself to take a break. The idea is that by using time-delayed onset of breaks as rewards, you can take baby steps into building a greater tolerance for slower-paced reward cycles. You control the breaks, rather than the breaks controlling you.

From a practical standpoint, research suggests that, when faced with long tasks (such as studying before a final exam or doing your taxes), it is best to impose brief breaks. Brief mental breaks will actually help you stay focused on your task!” So, even if breaks do not actually make your assignments less boring, the positive effects of combating fatigue and reducing stress will maintain focus, as the overall time engaged in your assignment becomes more rewarding.

Here are some ideas based on research studies for planning restorative, stress-reducing breaks, each of which will take only a few minutes. Exercise, Train your eyes using the 20–20–20 rule( every twenty minutes take a twenty-second break and focus on objects twenty feet away), Expose yourself to nature, Daydreaming, staring into space, doodling on paper, Short ten-minute naps, talking to other human beings, Laugh!, Grab something to drink and a small snack, Read a chapter in a fiction book. 

Start by setting expectations; inform your colleagues that you have a new plan in which communications happen in pre-established intervals. Don’t expect that changing your behavior will be easy. We have been susceptible to distractions and interruptions for our entire lives, but technology’s impact on the Distracted Mind has caused us to overindulge. Changing behavior may not be easy, but it is doable.