Regaining focus by force

Everyone agrees we need to find uninterrupted hours of focus for work that matters, but we keep spending our days distracted.

It’s not entirely our fault. Everything is built to pull our attention. Phones feel like a part of us, ads retarget us, and notifications remind us we’re missing out on something.

Our brains have adjusted to expect distraction. Try eating a full meal without watching something, scrolling your phone, or playing Netflix in the background. You might be surprised by how hard it feels. It’s not that watching a movie while eating is wrong, but once in a while, choosing to do just one thing at a time, even if it feels uncomfortable, is how we begin to retrain our focus.

One hack I’ve been trying: keeping my phone away from the bed before I sleep. One benefit is I can’t snooze the morning alarm, but also so I don’t check my phone first thing. It’s one way to begin the day in charge.

Start your morning with prayer, reading, a walk, or anything that reminds you that you are in control. Scrolling through what strangers have to say on the internet first thing in bed is handing over your day to distraction, on a platter.

These days I am trying, once in a while, to treat my phone like a landline—away from my desk unless I really need it. It’s helping.