How to Block the World When You Try to Work
Sometimes you feel like being alone, but your coworkers, pets, or kids aren’t going anywhere. Goodbye productivity. Fortunately, there are many techniques you can use to create a small bubble of comfort for yourself as you burn through your to-do list.
How to deal with annoying sound that’s distracting
First, let’s talk about real entertainment. When I need to really focus on my work in a noisy environment and I am distracted by the chatter or other noises I hear, my first level of attack is to pull out a pair of noise canceling headphones. I use Bose QuietComfort 25s and love them a lot. If I’m right, they were some of the previous Wirecutter picks and I was thrilled when I received them. So much so that I use them for everything: for work, for flying on airplanes, in order not to deal with people, when I am going somewhere, walking and so on.
If you need a little more firepower, or you really don’t want to invest in another pair of headphones, there are several software solutions that can help. Open YouTube and find one of the many “10 Hours …” videos you can watch with your headphones on while you work. (I love the “starship dormitory ” version, as well as theambient engine noise video.) Or visit myNoise , an incredibly detailed website for all kinds of “white noise” sounds, such as the incredibly soothing ” Irish Coast”. … “
There’s also the simple Rainy Mood , a free website that gives you exactly what its name suggests (and a volume control if you prefer a little fogging over a shower). Soft Noise gives you little sliders that you can use to add and remove sounds from your mix, in case you prefer a little more coffeehouse than thunderstorms without losing either. By the way, try a virtual coffee shop or choose from a range of unique environment settings created by others – for example, the Slytherin common room from Harry Potter.
Try dark mode
I have found that when I have to squat and do a lot of work, I can focus longer if I switch to the dark mode of my operating system instead of staring at the bright white display. It’s easy to set up on Windows and macOS , as well as Chrome , Edge, or Firefox – I’m assuming you spend most of your time using a combination of these operating systems and apps. Don’t forget about Slack, too .
Stop distractions
I recently highlighted a number of apps, services, and features that you can use so that you don’t get distracted from things that aren’t what you need to focus on – Facebook, games, etc. But these were more extreme examples, for example when you realize that you are spending too much time at the computer, in general, than getting up and being productive or communicating.
If you feel like you’re pretty good at your technology and just need ways to stay focused without drifting, there are plenty of less extreme options you can use to cheer yourself up a bit. The first and simplest strategy is to use any of the smart devices near your home to set performance timers. Shout at Alexa, Google or Siri and set the timer you promise to stick to; once the timer runs out, you can entertain yourself a little.
I’m a fan of this technique – “Tomato”, or “I vow to work without distraction for a period of time before rewarding myself in another way.” If you don’t have any SMARTS speakers nearby, there are many other ways you can give yourself a targeted countdown: TomatoTimer , Pomotodo , Pomodairo , ToMighty , Marinaratimer , and so on. Heck, if you use Habitica , you can turn task completion and focus into play. (Or, if you don’t mind using your smartphone to track your productivity, Forest is always a great option.)
Similarly, use the Do Not Disturb features built into your devices to temporarily turn off digital distractions and other notifications that you might otherwise want to respond to. Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android all come with these features – all named slightly differently – but worth exploring. Better yet, consider whether you can set a “do not disturb” schedule for the times of the day when you really need to focus the most, be it the first two hours of the work day or the entire shift from 9 to 5.
And don’t forget about any Do Not Disturb settings that you may need to enable separately for various social apps. If you mostly chat with your Facebook friends, for example, turn on Do Not Disturb there, but maybe keep your phone notifications active in case you need urgent text messages. (Orturn everything off ! That’s okay too.)
Finally, when I worked in a corporate setting, I was also a big fan of simply writing down working hours on my calendar. So no one can come up with an invitation to a meeting when I really, really need to do something. Or at least they’ll get back to you if it’s urgent and you can reshuffle your priorities as needed. This is Office Life 101 , but it’s an effective method and I’m always surprised when people don’t think about it.