Tips to stop ONLINE DISTRACTIONS & Stay FOCUSED!

34 replies
Lately I've been getting more distracted when jumping online to work. Need some tips to stay focused, any suggestions?
Cheers
#distractions #focused #online #stay #stop #tips
  • Profile picture of the author Defunct
    I dual boot linux for work, then block all the time waster sites that I end up on.

    Right now I can't access youtube or Facebook unless i reboot.
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    • Profile picture of the author AnilK
      Originally Posted by Defunct View Post

      I dual boot linux for work, then block all the time waster sites that I end up on.

      Right now I can't access youtube or Facebook unless i reboot.
      This sounds like a good idea Defunct, though my list of sites not to access would be much longer Also make the user login for that account have a really long username and password, like super long. You never know, you may never login to the 'distraction user account'.

      In addition make a list of tasks you to get done for the day. I know some have tasks broken down into the year > month > day. Get your tasks done for the day then get distracted!
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      • Profile picture of the author Defunct
        Originally Posted by AnilK View Post

        This sounds like a good idea Defunct, though my list of sites not to access would be much longer Also make the user login for that account have a really long username and password, like super long. You never know, you may never login to the 'distraction user account'.

        In addition make a list of tasks you to get done for the day. I know some have tasks broken down into the year > month > day. Get your tasks done for the day then get distracted!
        If i catch myself going to a new waste of time site, I just add it to take away the temptation.

        Also for lists I use Time Doctor, currently free and in beta, you can make lists and tick them off and a bunch of other features.
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      • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
        Originally Posted by AnilK View Post

        This sounds like a good idea Defunct, though my list of sites not to access would be much longer Also make the user login for that account have a really long username and password, like super long. You never know, you may never login to the 'distraction user account'.

        In addition make a list of tasks you to get done for the day. I know some have tasks broken down into the year > month > day. Get your tasks done for the day then get distracted!
        I installed a program a while back that blocked most sites I waste time on and if I want to go to them I have to disable the program by typing "I have nothing more important to do than waste time browsing the internet." It worked pretty well, though I've gotten good at managing my time without it since so I got rid of it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Bright
    Just write down everything you need to get done and a time to do it by on a piece of paper and keep it by your computer, that usually helps me and keeps me focused
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    Think about what will happen if you do NOT do the things you know you need to.

    Everytime you waste an hour surfing or browsing that's an hour you've lost forever. It's an hour you could have made some money. It's an hour that you didn't spend with friends and family.

    What do you want from your life? Are you just passing the time of day waiting to die?

    Get real with yourself.

    The economy sucks and the money in your pocket is getting worth less and less every single day.

    The reason the prices of things around you seems to be going up is because MONEY IS BECOMING WORTH LESS!!!!!

    Whatever you made last month won't go as far this month.

    If you're not making more and more money every month - you're going backwards.

    Stop screwing yourself over by wasting the time you could be moving forward on things that move you backwards.

    There are kids who are learning more about the internet now than you'll probably ever know - if you don't step up and put your stake in the ground and build something solid that you can rely on - other people will.

    DO IT NOW - Or you may regret it for the rest of your life.

    Don't be someone who in 20 years talks about when it was all much easier (Now) but you missed your chance.

    Andy
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    nothing to see here.

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    • Profile picture of the author gauravthegeek
      Excellent and practical suggestions, thanks.
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    • Profile picture of the author magnates
      Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

      Think about what will happen if you do NOT do the things you know you need to.

      Everytime you waste an hour surfing or browsing that's an hour you've lost forever. It's an hour you could have made some money. It's an hour that you didn't spend with friends and family.

      What do you want from your life? Are you just passing the time of day waiting to die?

      Get real with yourself.

      The economy sucks and the money in your pocket is getting worth less and less every single day.

      The reason the prices of things around you seems to be going up is because MONEY IS BECOMING WORTH LESS!!!!!

      Whatever you made last month won't go as far this month.

      If you're not making more and more money every month - you're going backwards.

      Stop screwing yourself over by wasting the time you could be moving forward on things that move you backwards.

      There are kids who are learning more about the internet now than you'll probably ever know - if you don't step up and put your stake in the ground and build something solid that you can rely on - other people will.

      DO IT NOW - Or you may regret it for the rest of your life.

      Don't be someone who in 20 years talks about when it was all much easier (Now) but you missed your chance.

      Andy
      Wow ... straight from the heart i love this and it is so true . there is no time to waste .

      Get on with it

      Here are some tips to help stop Online distractions

      1. Don't open your email first thing in the morning

      2. Don't go on facebook first thing in the morning or while you at work

      3. no skype , put your phone on silent

      4. Write what you need to do today (create a product , put together a bonus package ,e.t.c ) and set an online timer to complete it in at least an hour

      5. Make up your mind to stick to whatever it is that you have choosen to do for at 90 days . invest some time in doing the work for 90 days and if after 90 days of consistent action you do not see any result , only then you can consider another option . e.g if you have decided to do forum marketing , and somebody sends you a mail about a wonderful affiliate review plugin and buy . that is not what you doing right now . If give your attention ,You will take yourself away from forum marketing you were meant to do for 90 days .It is harder to build strength in more than one thing at a time .You cannot check your emails before you get the work done because it might distract you .You need your focus to succeed.
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  • Profile picture of the author lizashaw
    write a to do list of all the things you need to get done in the day, work out your priorities and work from #1 down, use a timer and set it for 30mins - 1 hr when it goes off, stop that job and go onto the next one. Make sure you have a break of 10 mins every hour or so.

    If you haven't finished that job before timer goes off ad it to your list for the next day. Suprising how much work gets done this way!!!

    These tips I picked up from flylady.com who is awesome. I have CFS and needed to find a system that helped me pace myself and stay motivated and organised. Give it a try
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  • Profile picture of the author Andrea Wilson
    Make a list of what you really need to do. Andyhenry kinda covered almost everything that I think we must do to avoid unnecessary surfing. Its great to post a big goal poster in your home office to have the push to keep going when you feel like tired of making money online.

    Andrea
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  • Profile picture of the author Willie Murray
    - Plan your day the night before
    - Limit time on social media unless it's for business purposes
    - Unsubscribe from all the mail lists except any essential ones
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  • Profile picture of the author Claire Sharp
    Before you start... make a list of what you want to do. Focus on a thing and you will definitely succeed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jaymark
    Decide what kind of IM strategy to pursue and then stick with it. Don't get distracted by the "Shiny Things" syndrome. As you get more involved in IM, you'll be bombarded with dozens of offers telling you about the "secret" system which allows you to earn thousands of dollars in your sleep.

    Maybe it's out there but I sure haven't found it yet. You can make money on the Internet but it takes a consistent strategy and play old hard work. There are some great resources (like this forum) which can help you with good strategies. Apply them and stick with it. Eventually it will pay off. Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author warray
    The best is when you have plan of works to do it...just do it first when you start your machine..don,t read your email yet because it always gave a lot of distraction..i got experience about this especially email that triggered you to explore further.....finish your job first before look for other things.
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    • Profile picture of the author jwpdad
      Set goals, big goals that you want to reach. Then break these down into smaller short term goals. Determine (at least estimate) the activities needed to reach the incremental goals and the time it will take to achieve them. Schedule your time accordingly. It's OK if you want to spend some personal online time say on Facebook or playing games, etc., to relax, but just make sure to do that outside of the hours you have set aside for business purposes.
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  • Profile picture of the author areevez
    Seriously I made a thread about this go to Get Things Done! - Take Action Machine this will solve your problems! Great time management tool great way to stay focused, just take a look at the website, trust me it is awesome. *pssst* pm me if you NEED to get it for free, if you have the money please support the guy and pay for it
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  • Profile picture of the author robrammuny
    Remind yourself of your END GOAL and every time you catch yourself off focus. Remind yourself every moment you spend not working towards your goal you are FARTHER from reaching it
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  • Profile picture of the author Viramara
    Make a to-do-list and stick to it!

    A year ago I had newbie disease of signing to tons of Guru newsletters. Just due to startup I unsubscribed all of them and got a much better focus.
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    • Profile picture of the author creative producer
      Hi Ashton,

      First question I ask you is this: What are you doing?

      You say you get distracted when you "jump online to work". What specific work are you doing online? Are you really attending to the most strategic task you need to be doing to advance your business, or are you perhaps just jumping online to "do research, check things out, etc"? I ask because, it can be easy to tell ourselves we're "working" when we're really just fooling around checking things out.
      (I have my moments of resembling that remark.)

      Now, assuming that

      a) you really are doing the most strategic task you could be doing to advance your business,
      b) you know it,
      c) you want to do it

      and you are still getting distracted repeatedly...

      My second question is: "What state are you in?"

      Not literally, as in location, but internally, mentally, physically, etc.

      One of the best tips I use and recommend for consistently performing at a higher level, without distraction or overwhelm is this

      5 Step Formula:

      "Check Your State Before You Start"

      If you are hungry, tired, angry, fidgety, etc before you sit down to work, and you proceed anyway, you are setting yourself up for failure.

      Instead,
      1) Check in with yourself before your work session.
      2) Find out what state you are in.
      3) Take the time to handle whatever needs attention.
      4) Set a predetermined time period aside for your work.
      5) Then and only then, get to it, go do it!

      There's more to it, but you get the idea. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

      Keep Going,

      -CP
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    • Profile picture of the author ale88
      Originally Posted by Viramara View Post

      Make a to-do-list and stick to it!

      A year ago I had newbie disease of signing to tons of Guru newsletters. Just due to startup I unsubscribed all of them and got a much better focus.

      Thank you! I followed your tips and works very well.. I bought a whiteboard to do my checklist every day when I get up and if I not finish them I dont move of my chair..
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  • Profile picture of the author mathayus
    for me, every time i lost focus, i try to remember my goal, and somehow it helps me back on track again, although sometimes it's not working, if it's not working maybe you should take some vacation to relax and after that back to your activity again
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  • Profile picture of the author JingQuimPo
    I think its different for everyone. I for example can't work at home because of so many distractions. Even though IM is a business and is very different from a normal 9-5 job, you still have to treat it like a business or a job. That is the reason we got ourselves a normal office. A really small one. But a working place nonetheless. For my team, we take it seriously, which means if we are working on something, there are no kids running around, no ones watching TV, playing PS3 of some sort, while others are working.
    This is our style, it might be different from yours but it works for us. If you can, find a team and a place away from home. Treat it like a business and not something you do for weekends.
    You have to look for something that works for you. That will keep the distractions away.

    "How can you put out a fire set on a cart-load of firewood with only a cup of water?"
    Jing Quimpo
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  • Profile picture of the author AnneHelstein
    For me the biggest online distractions are social media (it is so easy to get distracted by your friend's holiday photos etc) and Skype.

    The biggest offline distractions are cooking, nice weather, people calling me and family members not understanding and thus not taking my online business seriously and sayin things like 'Come on, get off the computer now', not realising that online business is a business like any other, which requires consistent action and work.
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    • Profile picture of the author highrider21
      Try this program called The Focus Master.

      Also try The Pomodoro Technique.

      - Just look them up on google.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    Every morning, I make a to do list. I tell myself I can't do anything besides that list until it is done perfectly. I unlug anything I don't need. I do all online things in the early am so there is no one to talk to. I burn through my list and spend the extra time relaxing and proud of my efforts.
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  • Profile picture of the author Goldenboy
    First, you have to have a list of your plan on what to do in a day. In that, you will be guided on what you will have to do in that day.

    Second, follow what is written in your list so as not to be distracted with other actions or disturbances by the environment.

    And importantly, plan your work, then work your plan. Conceptualize what you want to do and start working on that objective of yours.

    Hope this will help on your problem.
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  • Profile picture of the author vvsingh
    While doing work..log out of all instant messengers and don't check mail till you finish your work.
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  • Profile picture of the author hireava
    Great post! These tips and suggestions are very helpful. Thanks a lot!
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Johnson
    Make a to do list and hang it up somewhere that you can see it all the time.....sometimes you need to constantly see what needs to be done so you can stay focused on your task....it works for me
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  • Profile picture of the author warrich
    Will Power is the only solution to avoid being distracted , you have will power to earn ? , then you should not be aving any distractions .
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  • Profile picture of the author Frances Colleen
    i think the reason for lack of focus especially in IM is wanting to do everything (and earn from!) everything all at the same time. you must gently remind yourself that this is impossible, and constantly go back to the reasons why you're pursuing the business model you're pursuing now.

    there's such a thing called the 3 Month Rule, meaning you have to pick something and work on it single-mindedly for AT LEAST 3 MONTHS before expecting to see some fruit in your toil. thinking this way, you'll have the strength to tune out distractions and work hard on what's in front of you more effectively.
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