The world is a(n attention) vampire. Sites with infinite scroll designed to keep you engaged and clicking, phones with colorful app notifications with convincing calls to action. It’s hard to stay focused these days. Below are some tools and strategies I use to stay on task during the day.

Phone

  • Keep it on and keep the ringtone volume high, but leave it in a different room from your workspace.
  • Uninstall games and social media apps.
  • Use the Brave web browser, which blocks ads by default, and disable javascript on pages which you might be tempted to visit.
  • Disable annoying app notifications from otherwise useful apps.

Work computer

  • Install Cold Turkey Blocker, which can block sites on all of your web browsers. Add all sites which you find distracting.
  • Use uBlock Origin, which blocks ads, but also can disable elements of websites you may find distracting (right click, block element).

Diet

  • Avoid sugary foods and drinks to not have sugar lows.
  • Intermittently fast (IF) to avoid hunger spikes. I do 18:6.
  • Eat a balanced diet to avoid hunger and feel more level through the day. For each meal start with veggies, then fruit, then have some protein. I find it harder to eat veggies after I’m already mostly full. Hummus helps make most veggies more palatable.

Misc

  • Exercise regularly. I run, do planks, and do pull-ups every other day. I read that pull-ups help with hand and finger pain, and that seems to be true in my case.
  • Listen to music or podcasts if they help you, don’t if they don’t. I find that audio either helps me get into a flowstate or distracts me without me realizing it, so I try to avoid audio.
  • Touch grass every day. Go outside, get fresh air, talk to human beings in person.

TLDR - Stay aware of your mental and physical state and maintain routines which keep you healthy.