There’s a big difference between staying on top of things, and getting distracted.

If you find yourself feeling a little manic throughout the day, bouncing from one thing from the next, noticing you stopped a project in the middle and forgot to finish it.

It might be time to start looking at ways to ease the distractions that keep pulling your attention.

→ Starting with your email inbox.

Hey Rachael Blog: How to stop living in your email inbox

Distractions Kill Your Creativity

Have you ever found yourself focused deeply on a project only to see a notification pop up or a faint ding pull your attention?

While living in this modern technology world is amazing, it can also be really distracting when it comes to productivity.

Studies have shown that switching tasks causes us to work less effectively and efficiently, with some research suggesting we lose as much as 40% of our productivity by jumping between tasks and from one thing to the next. 40%!

It’s also been scientifically proven that after getting distracted it can take our brains about 23 minutes to get back to the task at hand before we got distracted.

So if you think about it, checking you inbox and messages even just a few extra times each day can add up REALLY quickly to time best spent elsewhere!

But How Do I Stop?

The easiest trick to help curb this game of distraction ping pong?

Stop living in your inbox waiting for something to come to you that you just have to respond to right away. Chances are the messages coming in are not urgent, and can wait a few hours for a proper reply.

Set yourself up for total domination and success by keeping your email C L O S E D, and only batch check messages a few times a day.

For me this looks like first thing when I start working I work on getting to Inbox zero. Then again in the afternoon after lunch or before the day ends I check my inboxes again.

Batching your tasks together like this saves you so much time, and you actually can get more done in less time because once you get on a roll, holy speedy fingers and focused brain power.

Plus, you aren’t constantly getting distracted by the dings, lit up screens, and manic checking every hour. It allows you to stay focused on the things that matter in your day, and actually move the needle in your business.

Ready to Make a Change? Try Implementing These Tips -

1 - Hide your email app

Ever notice how you can close out an app, and then 5 minutes later find yourself clicking it open again, almost like a reflex? Make it harder to find so you don’t go into auto pilot and click it open. Move the app off your home screen.

2 - Close the tabs

One of the easiest ways to stay focused? Practicing boundaries.

Close your email tab (that’s right, don’t keep it open) during project hours. During your designated checking points, open your email, respond and handle as necessary, and then close it again.

3 - Feeling brave?

If you can, consider deleting the mail app off your phone completely, and only check it at designated times on your desktop computer.

This one might not be practical for you if you travel a lot for work, but, chances are you could handle only checking your email during working hours in front of your computer!