What you need to know about distractions It's normal to be distracted. That's how we're built. The ability to react instantaneously to noise, to movement, to the appearance of other people was for our ancestors the key to survival in the wilderness.
Prevention is the best strategy. We find it hard to resist distractions, so it's best to avoid them altogether. Yeah, we can heroically fight the urge to read a new letter, and we might even be able to do it. However, it is much more reliable to simply turn off notifications about new emails.
There are no 100% effective methods. Every method of dealing with distractions is unreliable in its own way.
Combating distractions is unthinkable without planning. Distractions can only be prevented by planned work.
Prioritizing is the main "insurance" against distractions. As we work, our attention span inevitably decreases: we get tired and distracted more often. Therefore it is better to perform all the most important tasks at the very beginning.
