Navigating Digital Distractions

You settle in to tackle the work you’ve been putting off, but interruptions are guaranteed. First, the inevitable: your inbox pings and the phone rings. Then, you turn the distraction on yourself, instinctively grabbing your phone to scan headlines and scroll social media—your focus fragmenting with each digital detour.

These constant breaks, both external and self-inflicted, are no longer exceptions; they’ve become our default state, according to positive psychologist Zelana Montminy, author of Finding Focus: Own Your Attention in an Age of Distraction. As she explains, “We’ve trained our brain to need and want interruptions. It’s almost like we’re addicted to distractedness.” This addiction is no accident. Our devices are specifically engineered to exploit this vulnerability by providing “fleeting hits of dopamine through notifications, likes, and messages, keeping us in a constant cycle of seeking digital validation.”

Many of us think we’re masters of multitasking, but research suggests otherwise. Gloria Mark, Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness, and Productivity, offers a powerful metaphor for the cost of constant switching:

“Think of your mind as a whiteboard,” she says. “Each task or topic you focus on is like writing on that whiteboard. When you multitask, you’re constantly erasing and rewriting different information.”

All that switching comes at a cost. Studies show that multitasking leads to longer completion times, more errors, and increased stress. Mark explains the cognitive toll: “Your executive function—your brain’s CEO—gets fatigued. And it struggles to filter out distractions or make decisions, leaving you even more susceptible to interruptions.”

So how can you strengthen your focus skills, stay on track, and create an environment that supports better concentration? Here’s what experts suggest.

Lay the Groundwork

Optimizing your brain for focus starts with fundamental self-care, according to Montminy. “You need to prioritize foundational habits like sleep, hydration, and physical activity,” she says. “You could try all the mental health hacks in the world, and you’re not going to get anywhere if you’re not sleeping well and not hydrating.”

Creating consistent environmental cues is also key:

• Establish “Focus Rituals”: Montminy recommends routines or signals that tell your brain it’s time to concentrate—like a dedicated workspace, a particular desk setup, or a consistent routine that primes you for deep work.
• Create Friction: Mark suggests practical steps to eliminate distractions: turn off notifications, lock away your phone when working, and use app blockers. The goal is to “create friction” and make it harder to be distracted.

Train Your Brain’s Attention

With the fundamentals in place, you next need to harness your natural focus. Our attention is goal-directed, meaning we naturally concentrate on what aligns with our objectives and priorities, a principle rooted in the work of William James, the father of American psychology. “If your goals are very clear, that’s going to keep you focused,” says Mark.

To tap into this attentional bias and selectively focus on certain stimuli while ignoring others:

• Visualize Your Goals: Mark recommends a concrete approach: “Write down your goals and put them in a place where they’re in your visual field. Put them on a post-it if that’s what it takes for you to be constantly reminded of what you’re trying to accomplish.” Surrounding yourself with visual reminders helps train your brain to zero in on what’s essential.

Direct Your Emotions

Goal setting isn’t just about tasks; it’s also a powerful strategy for regulating emotions. “People who feel more positive can actually focus better, do more, and be more creative,” says Mark.

• Set Emotional Goals: Mark recommends envisioning your desired emotional state to guide behavior. Ask yourself: “At 7 PM, how do I want to feel?” By setting emotional goals—like feeling peaceful, relaxed, or proud—you create a neurobiological roadmap for balance.
• Visualize the Relief: Montminy advises: “Picture the end result. Visualize what it looks like, sit in the feeling of it, and imagine the relief.” This preemptively savors a sense of accomplishment, which can sharpen your focus.

Interrupt Your Autopilot

Attention comes in two forms: intentional (consciously focused, like writing a report) and automatic (actions without deliberate thought, like reflexively scrolling social media). To break unconscious habits, Mark says you need to cultivate meta-awareness: observing your mental processes as they unfold.

• Pause and Question: “It’s like slapping yourself awake and saying, ‘Pay attention!’” When you feel the impulse to check social media, pause and ask: What’s driving this behavior? Am I procrastinating? Am I avoiding challenging work?
• Build the Muscle: Asking these questions transforms an unconscious habit into a deliberate choice. “Meta-awareness is like a muscle—the more you practice catching and redirecting your attention, the stronger it becomes.”
• Don’t Use Your Phone as a Pacifier: Montminy suggests keeping alternatives to your phone nearby—a magazine or notepad—to satisfy your underlying need for escape or stress relief. “Don’t use your device as a pacifier,” she says.

Tune into Your Energy Patterns

Your attention at work has a rhythm, dictated by your chronotype and natural circadian rhythm, says Mark. Her research finds that most people have peak focus times around 11 AM and mid-afternoon, though this varies.

• Track Your Rhythm: Keep a diary tracking your energy and concentration levels throughout the day. “The desire to scroll or check your socials is a sign of your focus starting to quiver, usually toward the end of one of your cycles,” says Montminy.
• Schedule Strategically: Schedule demanding tasks during your peak cognitive hours and reserve less-complex work, like email, for when your energy dips. “Understanding and adapting to your energy fluctuations helps you align your work schedule with your personal rhythm,” she says.

Practice Active Listening

One of the most common places people lose focus is during conversations. Montminy notes this happens in team meetings and even in-person when you are mentally elsewhere. “We’ve become accustomed to not being present with each other. Shallow interactions have become the norm.”

To improve your focus and rebuild connection, Montminy recommends making a deliberate effort to practice active listening. This involves:

• Maintaining eye contact.
• Tuning into what the other person is saying.
• Asking thoughtful questions.

“Make intentional changes to prioritize your relationships,” she advises.

Replenish Your Attention Reserves

Negative space, an art term for the empty areas around a subject, offers a metaphor for managing mental energy: strategically recovering your cognitive resources by taking purposeful breaks.

• Build in Rest: Mark points out, “We tend to pack our days with tasks. We don’t realize we have to build in time for when we’re not working that will help us refuel.”
• The Right Kind of Break: When your reserves are low, give yourself permission to rest and reset. “But resetting does not mean scrolling socials,” says Montminy. “Consuming content is not taking a break.”
• True Recovery: Instead, she recommends stretching, meditating, reading poetry, or taking time to stare out a window. “Give your brain time and space to regroup.”

Mark adds a final thought: “You have limited cognitive resources. They’re very precious.” Recognize the value of your attention and make conscious choices about how you allocate it. The crucial question is: “How do you want to distribute them over the course of your day?”