Distractions are inevitable, whether it’s your phone pulling you away from work or sleep, the noise in your office, or a home workspace that just isn’t conducive to productivity.

Distractions don’t have to hold us back from getting the important things done. There are many ways to manage distractions.

But first it’s important to learn the four types of attention before we can learn how to manage our distractions.

The four types of attention

The first is focused attention. This is the ability to concentrate on a single task. It’s the type of attention we use when we’re deeply engaged in something, like reading a book or solving a problem.

The next is rote attention. “You use this type of attention when you do something engaging but not mentally taxing, such as playing an online game like solitaire or Candy Crush,” explains Fast Company writer, Stephanie Vozza. “Household chores, such as ironing or peeling potatoes, can also be rote.”

Boredom is the next type of attention. Dr. Gloria Mark, a psychologist and Chancellor Professor of Informatics at the University of California and author of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness, and Productivity, describes boredom as something that can help people replenish resources because it doesn’t require much mental effort.

Frustration is the final type of attention. Frustration occurs when we encounter a challenging task, make no progress, and can’t figure out how to move forward.

“It’s such an unpleasant state that people just try to avoid it,” says Mark. “If you have a problem and you become frustrated, most of us stop, put it aside, and do something else.”

Each attentional state has its own value, and we can control how we shift between them to replenish our cognitive resources. By recognizing when you need to switch states, you can better manage your day. For example, Mark explains, if you start feeling burnt out from focused work, it’s helpful to take a short break with a less demanding task, like a rote activity, to restore your energy before reaching exhaustion.

How to focus when everything is distracting

There are many strategies you can use to try and focus on your work in a world full of distractions.

Distractions are inevitable, but how you react to the distraction is controllable. Whether it’s your loud colleague that won’t stop bothering you or the emails you keep getting that are pulling you out of the zone, recognize that this is normal and will help you grow. Reclaim what you can control, such as turning on do not disturb or closing your office door.

Preparing beforehand can also help limit distractionson the day of. For example if you have a big meeting prepping the night before can help with a successful morning. This could mean things such as limiting phone time, going to bed early, eating a good meal, and setting out your clothes. All these things will help limit the amount of distractions you have in the morning.

Creating sensory anchors can help trigger focus by conditioning your brain to associate specific cues with work. These might include a particular scent, music, or object used only during work periods.

Visualization techniques can enhance performance by helping individuals mentally picture themselves successfully completing tasks. This practice boosts focus and motivation by reinforcing positive outcomes and actions after achieving goals.

Resist celebrating too early to avoid distraction and complacency. Premature celebration can hinder focus, so it’s important to stay concentrated on completing every detail of the project before celebrating.

Figure out what time you do your best work. It’s hard to focus on command so knowing when you focus most will help in being productive.

During this productive time it is also important to set tangible goals for yourself. Distraction will follow if what you have on your to-do list is too vague. Having measurable targets and achievable milestones will help set you up for success.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help, as even the most successful individuals need support. Reaching out to colleagues, coaches, or mentors can provide valuable guidance and perspective, helping you stay on track and focused.

How to block tech distractions

One way to block tech distractions is by pausing your email. Inbox Pause from Boomerang allows you to temporarily stop the flow of new messages. It works on Gmail and Outlook online and on iPhones.

You can also put more pressure behind your goals of blocking tech distractions. Stickk holds you accountable by letting you pick a goal and create your own commitment contract. You commit to donating money to a charity or individual of your choice if you don’t follow through on your resolution

Email Meter can help you better understand your email addiction by telling you how many emails you receive and send a day. It provides you information such as how fast you reply to emails, who sends you messages most often, how many emails are waiting for a reply, and what times are busiest for your email sending and receiving.

If you feel like you can’t hold yourself accountable, you can meet a virtual accountability partner, Focusmate will pair you up with one. You select a time on the site’s calendar to work, and you’re paired with someone else, located remotely, who also wants to stay focused.

A similar option is joining something called a productivity gym. Ultraworking ($49/month) and Caveday ($40/month) are two examples. They provide Zoom rooms that you can join with other people who are also trying to get work done. The idea is that you’ll get work done via peer pressure, explains Jermey Caplan, Fast Company freelancer.

If you work from home and are having trouble concentrating you could use various apps to replicate the noises of cafes or offices. Rainy Cafe is a great option if you like the sound of rain, cafe ambience or a rainy day while in a cafe. Noisli lets you choose from a variety of different sounds including bird noises and the sounds of a cafe. Sounds of Colleauges is another great option if you’re looking to replicate the office environment while home.

Another helpful tool is Life At. It lets you put a relaxing setting on your laptop or monitor to help you get into a cozy or productive mood. Some of the settings include a forest, or a sleeping cat, or a beach.

Sometimes you need an app that completely prevents you from messing around on websites that are more interesting than what you’re working on. Luckily that app exists and is called Cold Turkey. It blocks fun websites like Youtube and Reddit, explains Fast Company writer Doug Aamoth.

Another great tool is Momentum. This tool is available on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox browsers and turns your new-page tab into a dashboard that allows you to build a daily checklist. It also allows you to add frequently visited links and a weather widget.

Lastly, Inbox When Ready is an extension that lets you hide your messages in your email inbox until you are ready. It allows you to feel like you’ve emptied your inox at the end of your day, even if you haven’t. This extension is available on Edge, Chrome and Firefox.

How to avoid distractions when working from home

When you are working from home it is hard to not get distracted by the things around you, but here are a few and fight these distractions.

To help you with prioritizing it is important to schedule your time, including a mix of work and social interactions. When working from home you don’t get to have the casual run-ins with your colleagues to break up the time spent at your desk. You can do this by checking in with employees or managers on Slack or even taking a walk and calling your mom, explains Diana Shi, in a Fast Company article.

Often the biggest thing you can do is just let go of what you can’t control. As Kyle Cease, author of I Hope I Screw This Up: How Falling in Love With Your Fears Can Change the World, told Fast Company, “the more you try to exert control over something completely out of your hands, the more stress you will feel.”

Warming up your brain is also a great way to get it into a focused mindset. Aaron Britt from Herman Miller, told Fast Company that his team plays a few rounds of word games before starting their daily tasks. 

Another thing that can help your at home work environment is setting clear boundaries. Understand what boundaries at the office help you best get work done and set similar boundaries at home. This can include how you set up your at-home office or the verbal boundaries you set with family members or roommates. These boundaries also include knowing when you are most productive and organizing your day based on your productive hours.

Sometimes you even have to set boundaries with yourself. If your schedule is not structured it could cause a decline in your productivity. Laura Stack, founder of TheProductivity.Pro explains to Fast Company that enhancing your at work from home performance could mean doing things like telling yourself your work day starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. and you’ll take a one hour lunch break just like you do in the office. It also means setting boundaries on what type of distractions you’ll permit yourself, such as restricting yourself to only doing laundry during your lunch break.

Similarly, knowing what your triggers at work are will also help you better focus during your work day. “Oftentimes, you’re not able to recognize these stressful emotions immediately, so pose a few helpful questions to yourself, such as ‘What was it that stressed me out just now?’ and ‘What am I trying to avoid here?’” writes Shi. “A purposeful amount of self-reflection will prevent you from falling down a rabbit hole of YouTube playlists instead.”

At the end of the day, technology might be the thing that is distracting you the most. If this is the case, setting boundaries with your phone might be a necessity. This can be as simple as turning it off and putting it in another room.

Lastly, it’s important to listen to your body. Eliminating distractors will only take you so far, sometimes your body simply needs a break.This means when your brain and body have hit their limit, listen to them and stop your work for the day or take a break. But, it’s also important to be mindful about your breaks. “If your job is to write, don’t take a break that involves reading. It’s not a big enough break for your brain. Instead, walk the dog, throw in some laundry, or sweep the floor. This sends oxygen to your brain to keep you more alert,” explains productivity expert Maura Thomas, author of Work Without Walls: An Executive’s Guide to Attention Management, Productivity, and the Future of Work.

How to avoid distractions at the office

Oftentimes distractions are associated with technology but that’s not always the case. There are two types of distraction you need to focus on.

The first is sensory distractions or external distractions. This includes things such as colleagues talking, phones ringing, people walking, and music playing.

The second is emotional distractions or internal distractions. This is when your thoughts make your mind drift from what you’re supposed to be doing. This could mean thinking about the phone call you need to make later or what time you need to leave to pick your kids up from school.

According to Daniel Goleman, author of Focus: The Hidden Power of Excellence, “It’s not the chatter of people around us that is the most powerful distractor, but rather the chatter of our own minds.”

Fast Company contributor, Jory Mackay, writes, According to Matthew Crawford, author of The World Beyond Your Head: Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction, “distraction is less about being controlled and more about asserting control over a situation. Crawford believes we’re obsessed (to a fault) with autonomy. In fact, when researchers studied the qualities of the most satisfying jobs, flexibility, autonomy, and control were in the top 6.” Yet, a lot of people don’t feel control.

Work environment is not always conducive to productivity. The human brain naturally picks up something that doesn’t match the pattern or routine of the day. It’s hard to ignore and leads to distraction. The way to fix this is not blocking out the distraction with noise cancelling headphones, but it is instead important to get comfortable with distractions. Getting used to the environment you work in and at what times it’s noisier and quieter will allow you to best manage your focus and productivity.

Whether you are working from home or in an office, distractions are everywhere. These tips can help you manage your distractions better and hopefully achieve better productivity and less burn out.