An important elements of accomplishing anything is maintaining focus. When you are focused, you will do. When you are distracted, you will not do. Distractions will come. Rather than trying to block them out, figure out a way to refocus when you become distracted.

Over the past few years, I have noticed a pattern in my life when it comes to accomplishing things. When I am focused, I am focused hardcore to the point where I literally ignore everything else. This focus helps me to do the things I am passionate about.

Although I can have an intense focus at times, distractions cause me to divert my focus from what I was doing and I refocus on something else. Unless I work very fast or am able to refocus, I will end up with several unfinished projects. This is not productive at all.

Effectiveness in Inefficiency

If you have watched Professor Randy Pausch speak on his time management skills, then you will already know that efficiency and effectiveness are different. Life gives you certain quirks that makes the environment less than ideal. Rather than ignoring these quirks, it may be more beneficial to acknowledge their influence and go around them.

My way around this pattern is a tendency to work late at night, when no one else is around. When everyone is sleeping, then there are less things that can distract me. Rather than trying to struggle for focus during the day, I can devote my attention to my work.

Decreasing Ability

Although there are less distraction at night, I still have the ability to distract myself. I often find myself wandering the internet as an easy fix to keep myself entertained. Rather than focusing on what I need to do, I am only focus on what I want to do. In this situation, I have more power than is beneficial.

In many cases an individual will have abilities that surpasses his discipline to use them effectively. Grocery stores place small items at the check out stand because they are low cost, meaning you can buy them with little consequence. You are compelled to act simply because you are able to do so. When something is within your ability to act, it is often difficult to resist the urge to use your ability.

When you find yourself in a situation when you are able to do something that is not beneficial to yourself, then you either need self-discipline to know when it is appropriate to use your abilities or you need a way to prevent you from using your abilities. Self-discipline requires effort, so it is easier to not do something if you are not able to do it.

When I find myself going to various websites, such as Digg, I often do it out of habit. To prevent this tendency from interfering with my focus, I installed a site blocker. When I am compelled to be distracted, the site blocker activates and reminds me to get back to work. While the site blocker will not prevent me from doing anything that I have a strong desire to do (it can easily be disabled), it does help me refocus when I become distracted.

Refocusing

When you are alone, then you may be easily distracted because you do not have an external reference point, which differentiates between what you ought to be doing and what you ought not to be doing. You will end up doing whatever comes your way.

In order to refocus, you need an external reference point, which is anything that takes you out of the action and allows you to refocus. It can be your conscious mind, which tells you that this is not what you are doing. It can be a friend or coach, who can tell you when you are off track. It can even be a code that you have written down describing what you desire to do.

The purpose of the external reference point is to take you out of what you are doing (the wrong thing), allowing you to go back to the actions you should be doing. Distractions inhibit productivity, because they stop you from acting. When you are doing the wrong thing, then you need a positive distraction, allowing you to get back on the right path.