Tips to minimize distractions

Distractions are annoying. They take your attention away from what you are supposed to focus on. They interfere with your plans. They affect your productivity and delay your progress.

They come in many forms. Telephone calls, urgent matters, petty issues, and many others can diverse your attention. Most of them are time wasters.

Tips to avoid or minimize distractions.

• Know what's important.

When you have a purpose in life, you are aware of what's important to you. When you know what you want and the reasons behind it, you will look for the best solution under any circumstances.

You'll find it easier to say "No" when the need arises. You'll know what and whom to avoid.

• Plan your activities.

According to Stephen R. Covey in his First Things First, you should plan your activities around your roles. You have a role to play. You are an employee or a boss, a parent, a friend or whatever.

Break them and write them down. This strategy will help you prioritize, overcome procrastination and develop self-discipline.

• Have an activity diary.

You may have written down your plans. But how do you measure your accomplishments?

An effective way to notice is to record down your activities. And at the end of your day or week, check them out. See how much time you have spent on checking emails, socializing or on other distractions.

Compare those to what you did that were productive. This should make you see why you are not making progress. If you are serious on your personal growth, you will use this information to help you improve.

• Insist to have alone time.

Regardless of how busy you are, you should insist to have your alone time. During this "Do not disturb" time, tell people not to rob it from you. Use it to plan, read, learn and to contemplate.

Don't put yourself at the mercy of others. You should give your attention and time for others. But that doesn't mean that you have to be present all the time. You don't have to get too involved in other people's problems and lives. There is a time and a place for everything.

• Change your thoughts.

Suppose you have a project to finish on a certain date and you fear that you will not make it. That thought will attract all kinds of distractions to prove to you that your are right. You'll procrastinate. You'll focus on the unimportant things. You'll make excuses.

Everything that is happening on the outside has to do with what's going inside. Check your thoughts. You may need to change your thinking and the way you feel about things and people.

Set out your intention to complete a task and imagine its completion. This will drive you to take action. And you will attract corresponding events to make things happen.

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