A distraction is the curse on productivity. That's probably the best definition of it.

Distractions take various forms.

For a working person, the distractions could be a gossiping colleague, a micro managing boss who is behind you every five minutes, a new task email that only adds to the pile of to-do lists, and the worst must be a team meeting where no one knows what is happening.

For a reader, the distractions could be missing out the last read page, unable to find the quiet to read, complicated words requiring dictionary reference, ebook reader out of charge, and the worst must be a due date to return the book to the library.

For a writer, the distractions could be the social media notification, a friend calling, loss of words, a plot dead end, a mid sentence research spanning days, and, the worst must be, editing as you write.

How do we deal with these distractions?

There are plenty of articles on the Internet teaching us methods to prevent distractions and increase productivity.

Frankly, none of them work for me. I have tried 25-minute tasking once. Either I finished them in 15 minutes or they took 45 minutes. I have tried switching off social media notifications. My colleague had come to my desk and dragged me for the urgent meeting that was called for through Whatsapp.

My way of dealing with distractions is “I do or I don't”. Once I start something, I don't move until the task at hand is completed. This helped me have the focus and reduce the multiple notes I would make to rememer my place.

It applies everywhere. If I want to read a book, I choose the night of a weekend. I sometimes skip the first 50 pages which are filled with introductions. That helps me in completing the book in 12 to 14 hours. Of course, at the cost of a night's sleep but I'm used to it.

I write the same way. I have to write one chapter in one sitting. That's one of the main reasons my chapters are short. If I know I can't finish, I don't start at all. Now you know why I sometimes update twice a day and sometimes weeks go without an update.

I do face challenges in this method. It's not pitch perfect. Sometimes, I don't have the luxury to complete at a time. Or I might have to work on two different issues at a time. This method doesn't work in those times. So I turn back to making extensive notes on the steps I have to complete, what I was planning to do next and any waiting time for the information to come from elsewhere.

Distractions are themselves not bad. The impact they have on the other tasks we do is what makes them unwanted. If we can reduce that impact, by all means, we can keep those social media notifications on.

How do you deal with distractions? Tell me in the comments below.