When distractions come
Distractions come from outside and from inside your own head. Learn what to do in the ten seconds after one arrives: capture it, ride out the urge, handle people kindly and restart fast.
Two sources of distraction
From outside
Notifications, calls, a colleague's question, family, noise. Someone or something asks for your attention.
From inside
The itch to check, a sudden "I must reply to...", boredom, a worry. Nobody asked; you switched. Studies of office workers have found that a large share of task switches are self-interruptions like these.
MOVE ONE
Capture, don't act
Keep a capture list next to you during every session: a sheet of paper or one note. When a thought or task pops up, write it down in a few words and go straight back. At the break, look at the list and decide what to do with each item. The thought is safe, so your mind can let it go.
"Pay internet bill." "Look up that actor's name." "Ask Sara about Thursday." Three lines, ten seconds each, and the session never broke.
Check yourself
Twenty minutes into a session, Nima suddenly remembers he has to email his landlord about the broken heater. What's the best move?
- Send the email right now; it only takes a minute and then it's off his mind
- Write "email landlord re heater" on his capture list and go back to work
- Try hard not to think about it until the session ends
- End the session, since he clearly can't focus with this on his mind
Show the answer
Write "email landlord re heater" on his capture list and go back to work
Yes. Ten seconds of writing makes the task safe, and he'll send the email at the break. The session stays intact.
Urge surfing
A way to handle a craving without obeying or fighting it, first developed by psychologist G. Alan Marlatt in work on addiction relapse. You notice the urge, name it, and watch it like a wave: it rises, peaks and, if you don't feed it, usually fades within minutes. You don't have to make it disappear. You only have to not act on it yet.
The itch to open your phone arrives. You think: "There's the urge to check." You notice where you feel it, breathe, and keep your eyes on the sentence. A minute later it's weaker.
Check yourself
Ten minutes into a session, Sepideh feels a strong urge to check her phone. To surf the urge, she should fight the feeling as hard as she can until it's completely gone.
Show the answer
False
False. Surfing isn't fighting. She notices the urge, names it ("there's the itch to check"), lets it be there and keeps working. Urges usually fade on their own when they aren't fed; wrestling with them tends to keep them in the spotlight.
OTHER PEOPLE
Signal, offer a time, and batch
Most people interrupt because they can't tell you're busy. Give a visible signal: headphones on, a note on the door, a status saying "focusing until 11". When someone asks anyway, offer a specific time: "I'm in the middle of something. Can I come to you at 11?" Check messages at set times instead of as they arrive, and tell the people close to you how to reach you if something is truly urgent.
Arman tells his team he answers chat at 10, 12 and 4. His family knows: "If it's urgent, call twice." Almost nothing is urgent, and nobody feels ignored.
When you really do get pulled away
- Park it (20 seconds)
Before you turn around, write where you are and the next step, like the parking note from lesson 8. Even three words help.
- Give the interruption your full attention
Half-listening while staring at the screen makes both things worse and the conversation longer.
- Restart from the note
Read the note, do the tiny next step, and you're back. No need to reread everything from the top.
Check yourself
Match each distraction to the best response
Show the answer
- A colleague stops by with a non-urgent question → Offer a specific time later
- A sudden thought: buy a gift for Mum's birthday → Write it on the capture list
- The itch to open a social app → Notice the urge and let it pass
- Your phone keeps buzzing on the desk → Put it out of reach before the next session
- A real emergency call from home → Park a quick note, then go
Check yourself
Kian studies at home. His younger sister keeps coming in with questions, and he's lost three sessions this week. Which move is most likely to fix it for good?
- Move all of his studying to after midnight, when everyone else in the house is asleep
- Lock the door and not explain, so she learns on her own
- Agree with her: headphones on means "not now", and he'll come find her at each break
- Accept that focusing at home is impossible and stop trying
Show the answer
Agree with her: headphones on means "not now", and he'll come find her at each break
Right. A visible signal plus a promised time gives her a way to get his attention without breaking the session. She isn't shut out; she just knows when.
Lesson recap
- Distractions come from outside and from inside; a large share of switches are self-interruptions.
- Capture sudden thoughts on a list instead of acting on them, and deal with the list at the break.
- Surf urges: notice, name, let them peak and fade. Add friction so the work is the easy path.
- With people, give a visible signal and offer a specific time; when pulled away, park a note and restart from it.