As a creative writer who works from my home, I have realized over the past year that distraction is a big problem for me. It destroys my concentration, and then I end up feeling irritated, stressed and resentful of whatever is keeping me from my work.

Distractions Coming at Me From Everywhere

Sometimes my cats fight, and I am interrupted. Often my neighbors decide to use large, noisy equipment while I am trying to craft beautiful prose. Other times, people are calling, emailing and show up demanding my attention and there goes my focus, right out the window.

It seems like the older I get, the more bothered I am by noises. One of my cats has a sinus issue, and he makes noises like a duck. It is kind of cute sometimes but when you are trying to work, not so much. It sounds like an old man snoring as he paces through the house.

A Solution For Better Productivity

Thankfully, during a recent meditation session, I learned of a solution. The woman narrating talked about focus and productivity. She said that distractions are like a full-size train coming to a complete stop and then starting back up again. That is what it is like for your brain every time you get distracted. It is not efficient and actually hinders your ability to function.

We live in a noisy world with emails swooshing, smartphones and watches dinging and all sorts of other electronic means for people to bother us during the day. It is a wonder anyone gets anything done.

When I worked in web development, I could work while still handling some distractions and juggle more than one thing at a time. However, now that I write, I need complete and utter focus to let the words just flow. Otherwise, I am no good at what I do.

Deep Work to the Rescue

So what the solution? In this recent meditation, the woman quoted the author of a book. I wish I could remember the name, but I cannot. In it, he talked of “deep work.” What that means is shutting off everything. Close the windows, close your office door, shut down email, phones and everything else that could cause an interruption and then work in a very focused manner for about an hour. Then you take a break, turn things back on, check email and social media. Then you shut it all off and do it again repeating this cycle throughout the day.

I have been using this technique in my daily work routine for a while now, and it works great! My productivty has soared and I feel less stressed. I don’t get irritated as easily, and because I have complete control over my work and my time, I feel more peaceful. If someone needs me, I send a quick text saying “working,” and they wait until I am done and on my next break.

The next time you feel like you are working inside a tornado, try it. See for yourself the power of unplugging so you can focus tightly, produce good work and then relax. I bet you will find your days much more efficient, productive and pleasant.