How to Stop Getting Distracted

You can't stop distractions completely, but you can get back on track faster. Distractions come from two places: inside you (worry, comparison, a self-critical voice) and outside you (people, your phone, a noisy room). For the inside ones, notice and gently come back. For the outside ones, set things up once so they reach you less. Then forgive the slip and restart.

The short version, from After the Crash: "You don't have to be distraction-proof—just distraction-resilient."

Two kinds of distraction

"Distractions are both internal (anxiety, self-doubt, monkey mind) and external (people, tech, environment)." Most focus advice only deals with the second kind. In my experience the first kind is harder: "some days, your biggest enemy isn't your phone—it's your feelings."

Inside: notice the monkey mind

"Some days, I feel anxious, stressed, and even a little angry—for no obvious reason. I compare myself to others (online or off), get frustrated at my own progress, and the self-critical voice in my head just won't shut up." I'm learning that “this "monkey mind" is normal, but it's also trainable.”

What trains it for me is short meditation. Not the perfect kind. “Sometimes it's 10 minutes, sometimes 2. The goal isn't to "empty" my mind—it's to notice what's happening and bring myself back to the present, even for a few seconds.”

I use it to:

• Anchor myself in the present with my breath
• Notice and accept emotions, not fight them
• Let thoughts and feelings come and go, rather than chasing or avoiding them
• Reframe distractions as opportunities to practice presence, not failures

"I don't always succeed. Some days, I'm just scattered. But every day is a chance to practice."

Inside: check the basics first

Before blaming your willpower, check your body. "When I'm tired, hungry, or dehydrated, I'm ten times more likely to get knocked off course by any little distraction—internal or external."

So I keep a water bottle at my desk, keep snacks within reach, and if I'm really tired, I rest instead of forcing it. "Even 10 minutes can reset my brain."

Outside: decide your tech rules once

For deep work, "I have to disconnect. That means turning off notifications, logging out of email, and sometimes literally leaving the phone in another room." I try to schedule deep work blocks, and I protect them.

My defaults from Chapter 6: "All notifications are OFF by default." I batch email checks 2–3 times a day, and I schedule specific times for social media. Setting rules like these once is also a way of saying no when your energy is low.

Outside: change the room

"If the environment is too noisy or distracting, I move. Sometimes it's headphones and a playlist. Sometimes it's finding a quieter room or working from home."

And the desk itself: "A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind." When something's out of place, it gets a home. "Even a small reset (clearing my desk, taking out the trash) helps me reset my attention."

After a distraction: reset, don't judge

"After a distraction, I used to beat myself up. Now, I just notice it, reset, and get back to what matters. The less I judge myself, the faster I recover."

And on bad days, lower the bar: "I don't always have to feel great to do good work. Some days, just showing up is enough."

If your head is full of open loops, a brain dump before you start helps too.

One thing to try today

The two-minute reset. Next time you catch yourself drifting, don't scold yourself. Take two minutes: three slow breaths, a glass of water, clear one thing off your desk. Then go back to the task you were on.

This is one person's experience, not medical advice.

Free: Chapter 9 of After the Crash covers distractions from both sides, and Chapter 4 covers clearing mental clutter. The free edition: isakvidinghoff.com/free-book

---

Sources

• After the Crash, Ch 9: "You don't have to be distraction-proof—just distraction-resilient."
• After the Crash, Ch 9: "Distractions are both internal… and external…"
• After the Crash, Ch 9: "some days, your biggest enemy isn't your phone—it's your feelings."
• After the Crash, Ch 9: “this "monkey mind" is normal, but it's also trainable.”
• After the Crash, Ch 9: "Sometimes it's 10 minutes, sometimes 2."
• After the Crash, Ch 9: "When I'm tired, hungry, or dehydrated, I'm ten times more likely to get knocked off course…"
• After the Crash, Ch 4: "sometimes literally leaving the phone in another room."
• After the Crash, Ch 6: "All notifications are OFF by default."
• After the Crash, Ch 6: "Now, I batch email checks 2–3 times a day."
• After the Crash, Ch 9: "If the environment is too noisy or distracting, I move."
• After the Crash, Ch 9: "A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind."
• After the Crash, Ch 9: "The less I judge myself, the faster I recover."
• After the Crash, Ch 9: "Some days, just showing up is enough."