3 Ways to Eliminate Distractions and Improve Focus on Work

Do you feel like the Internet is destroying your productivity, but you rely on it for some or all of your work? If so, then this post is for you. We’re going to look at three specific ways you can block distractions online so you can focus on your work.

Use Productivity Extensions & Add-Ons to Increase Your Ability to Focus

The best way to focus your online time on work is to block access to those websites that are for your entertainment only. StayFocusd for Google Chrome, for example, is an extension that allows you to set specific work hours and websites that you should not visit during those work hours. Alternatively, you can also set it to only allow you on to a few specified websites and block everything else.

There are similar browser extensions and add-ons, like LeechBlock for Firefox, that offer similar functionality. If you have multiple browsers, you may want to consider narrowing it down to one or installing a browser extension or add-on for each of your browser that helps you block websites that are not work related.

While on the topic of browser extensions and add-ons, if you have installed any that notify you of new emails, social media updates, or other updates not related to work, be sure to uninstall those. Otherwise, you’ll still be distracted by your browser.

Sign in as Your Business to Avoid Distractions

Depending on what you do, there are some websites that can be vital for your work as well as distracting. Facebook is a great example – you may need to be signed into Facebook to check your business page, but you might get distracted each time you do with your personal newsfeed and notifications.

To solve this problem, sign into Facebook as your business. When logged into Facebook, simply go to the dropdown arrow at the top right of your news feed and click on your page to use Facebook as your page.

Instead of seeing your personal news feed, profile, and notifications, you will see your business page’s news feed, page, and notifications. Your business page’s news feed will be full of updates from other pages that you have liked with your business page.

If you haven’t liked other pages with your business page, you can use the search box to find some pages to like. This will allow you to comment on other Facebook page posts as your business page to get more exposure for your business.

This approach will also work with your other social media accounts – sign in with your business accounts instead of your personal accounts. And stay signed out of your personal accounts until you are done with work.

Turn Off Mobile App Notifications (Social Media and Others)

Online distractions can come from other sources than your desktop browser. In particular, if you have notifications for your Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other apps on your phone, you’re likely to be distracted by them as well. iPhone users, for example, can go to their Notification settings to turn off any alerts coming from apps and websites they do not need during work hours.

Ideally, you will want to turn off everything to make sure you’re not getting alerts or checking to see if you have any new notifications. This will also help you from getting distracted while driving and spending time with your family, so even if it’s not an issue for work, you might want to consider turning these off for situations outside of the office.

In Conclusion: Distraction Free Working

If working online is necessary, then finding ways to block your habitual online distractions will be necessary as well. Spend some time today noticing the online elements that distract you from work and block them for the best productivity possible.