It started with my first Momentum monthly planning call. I wanted to see how this team did their planning and learn some new techniques. And I got one…how to do a distraction audit.
What Is A Distraction Audit
Distraction audits are way to limit the distractions that might interfere with whatever task you are trying to focus on.
It’s a great concept on the surface: get rid of your distractions so that you can concentrate. And most of us will do this to a certain extent. We take the half-empty coffee cups off the desk, clear papers out of the way, find the keyboard where it is buried under piles.
But a distraction audit can go further, and that was what surprised me.
How To Do A Distraction Audit
Distractions come in many forms, and for many of them, we may not even register that they can impact our concentration
Computer
If you are working on a computer, you can be distracted by all the things.
- Open programs. If you don’t need them for what you are doing them, close them from the task bar. When in doubt, close it. You can always open it again if you need to. Some programs can be set to minimize to the status area if you really need them open.
- Notifications. Pop-ups, chimes, blinking tabs and notification windows are all major distractions. Outlook can minimize to the status area, but that doesn’t stop the popups, chimes and more. Teams can be set to do not disturb, but it will still allow notifications through. I find that the best way to get rid of notifications is to close the program (exit) entirely.
- Desktop. If you are a person who leaves a lot of things on your desktop, this can be a distraction. I don’t keep things on my desktop, but you can hide things quickly (Mac, Windows)
- Browser tabs. I can go down browser rabbit holes with amazing speed. I find that having Momentum* as my homepage takes care of that. With the Pro feature, I can have it put all my tabs to the side using Tab Stash. Momentum also gives me a distraction free page so that when I do open my browser I don’t get sidetracked by anything that gets automatically served up.
Working Surface
During the distraction audit, the leader asked us to look around at see what might be distracting to us.
- Garbage/dishes. I had two water cups, a plate and some plastic wrap on the table with my keyboard. Normally I would have ignored them, but since I was told to look for them, I saw the potential for distraction.
- Papers/notebooks/books. I pile things on my working surfaces. To get quickly to the clear state, I put all the papers, books, notebooks and unfinished projects in a basket and put it on the floor out of sight.
- Desk clutter. Put away any desk equipment you are not going to use in the coming task. I put away a half dozen pens, the stapler, and three pads of sticky notes.
Physical Distractions
This one was new to me. The leader asked us to asses our physical state.
- Hydration. Making sure my water bottle was filled and that I had ingested some before I started.
- Hunger. Do I need a snack?
- Elimination. He asked us to assess if we needed to use the restroom before starting.
- Clothing. Are my clothes comfortable? Can I change so that they won’t distract me?
- Temperature. Being too warm or too cold can distract from the task at hand.
The Results
I complied with the instructions and found that my previous methods of just closing programs didn’t hold a candle to the results of taking care of working surface and physical distractions. I had a great planning session, working along to the recording, and learned a lot about Momentum* as well as some new planning tools.
In Conclusion
By taking just a few minutes to perform a distraction audit before starting your work, you can dramatically improve your focus and productivity. I’ve made this a regular part of my workflow now, especially for important tasks that require deep concentration. It’s amazing how much more you can accomplish when you systematically eliminate the small things that chip away at your attention. Give it a try – your brain (and your project) will thank you.
If you are interested in the monthly planning calls from Momentum, they are free. If you can’t make the live call, sign up anyway – they will send you a recording.
If you are interested at getting Momentum Pro at a discount, go through this link and you can get it for $3 a month.