{"id":42255,"date":"2021-07-27T10:06:57","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T14:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=42255"},"modified":"2021-07-30T13:48:02","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T17:48:02","slug":"internal-distractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/internal-distractions\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Control Your Internal Distractions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Do you get easily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/phone-distraction\/\">distracted by your phone<\/a>, your coworkers, and other things around you? Do you blame external sources for your distracted behavior?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As it turns out, the root of distraction is inside you, also known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/internal-distractions-2\/\">internal distractions<\/a>. We often turn to distractions when we want to escape the discomforts of our lives but there are ways to fight back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are three exercises that will help you push back against your internal distractions and stay focused on your tasks and goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Control Your Internal Distractions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you can control your internal distractions, you first need to understand what distractions <em>are<\/em>. Like many people, you probably believe that distraction is a product of the things around you such as your phone, different apps, or your chatty coworkers.<strong> In reality, the root of distraction is <em>inside you<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contrary to popular belief, humans aren\u2019t motivated by punishment and reward\u2014we\u2019re motivated by<em> freedom from discomfort. <\/em>When we feel physical or mental discomfort, we naturally search for ways to escape it. These discomforts and escapes can take many forms, such as:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The reality of difficult homework and the escape of scrolling social media&nbsp;<\/li><li>The reality of marriage problems and the escape of building a farm on Animal Crossing<\/li><li>The reality of work stress and the escape of Netflix binges&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To get a handle on your internal distractions, you need to control their root cause\u2014internal triggers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Change Your Thinking Around Your Discomfort<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter how good your life is, it\u2019s likely you have a nagging sense of dissatisfaction or restlessness that drives you to look for \u201cescapes.\u201d <strong>What\u2019s surprising about this feeling is that it\u2019s <\/strong><strong><em>completely normal<\/em><\/strong><strong>\u2014human evolution was driven by dissatisfaction<\/strong>. The desire to have <em>more<\/em> is what drives advancement and discovery.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding that discomfort and dissatisfaction are <em>normal<\/em> is an essential part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/becoming-indistractable\/\">becoming indistractable<\/a>. Acknowledging your discomfort means you can examine it and think about how to use it, rather than suppressing it. The more you try to <em>suppress <\/em>an idea, the more aggressively it will invade your thoughts\u2014as would happen if someone asked you <em>not<\/em> to think about a white bear.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learning to control your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/external-trigger-vs-internal-trigger\/\">internal triggers<\/a> isn\u2019t about learning <\/strong><strong><em>not to think about them<\/em><\/strong><strong>\u2014it\u2019s about <\/strong><strong><em>learning to change how you think about them. <\/em><\/strong>Three exercises can help you examine and understand your internal triggers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exercise 1: Reflect on the Trigger<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than <em>reacting<\/em> to triggers with distraction, take four steps to meaningfully <em>reflect <\/em>on them and make more deliberate, traction-supporting choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Identify the Trigger<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>When you find yourself about to switch over to a distracting activity, ask yourself: \u201cWhat particular discomfort or feeling triggered me to do this?\u201d Usually, you\u2019ll find that the source is a negative emotion like anxiety, frustration, boredom, craving, incompetence, or lack of control.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, you might be constantly checking your emails when you\u2019re supposed to be working on difficult thesis revisions. Upon reflection, you find that you\u2019re reacting to feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by escaping into the productive feeling of getting caught up on email.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Note the Trigger<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep a \u201cdistraction tracker\u201d where you write down the details of your internal triggers\u2014the time of day, who you were with, where you were, your emotions, what you were doing when you felt distracted, and the distracting action you took.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Time&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Where\/Who<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Activity<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Feeling<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Distracting Action<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2:15<\/td><td>Home, alone<\/td><td>Studying&nbsp;<\/td><td>Overwhelmed and nervous<\/td><td>Reorganized bookcase&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3:45<\/td><td>Starbucks, alone<\/td><td>Editing r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/td><td>Frustrated, bored, unaccomplished<\/td><td>Scrolled through Instagram<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>7:45<\/td><td>Home, with family<\/td><td>Watching a movie<\/td><td>Anxious about upcoming exams<\/td><td>Started checking and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-organize-emails\/\">organizing emails<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This step raises your awareness of your internal distraction patterns, helping you better control your actions in the future.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, the next time you start <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/feeling-agitated\/\">feeling restless<\/a> while studying, you <em>know<\/em> you\u2019re about to click over to Reddit so you block the website for a few hours.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: Examine the Feeling<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>When you experience internal discomfort, commit to fully exploring all of your mental and physical feelings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, you might notice that when you feel internal discomfort your leg starts bouncing, you get a tightness in your chest, you start feeling restless, or you start humming to yourself. Once you <em>give in<\/em> to the internal distraction, you might feel relaxed, anxious in a different way, or equally restless.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The important part of this step is <\/strong><strong><em>sticking with your feelings<\/em><\/strong><strong> for as long as possible. <\/strong>This helps you accept and feel curious about your urges, instead of making them stronger by resisting them or trying to push them away.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: Look Out for Transitions&nbsp;<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Distraction often crops up during <em>transitional moments<\/em>, when your brain is already in the process of shifting gears from one activity to another. In these moments, you usually think you\u2019ll do something \u201cjust for a moment\u201d while you shift gears, but your brain has other plans and hooks onto this new activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>This might look like sending a message to a friend and opening up Tumblr while you wait for their reply or going to the kitchen for a snack and scrolling through Instagram while you\u2019re at it\u2014only to find yourself still scrolling 30 minutes later back at your desk.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Try adopting a 10-minute rule to avoid latching onto the wrong activity in a moment of transition. <\/strong>Whenever you\u2019re in one of these moments and feel the urge to grab your phone, open a new website, or distract yourself, tell yourself, \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll do that in 10 minutes.\u201d Often, when those 10 minutes are up, you\u2019re already deep into another, more productive task and have forgotten your urge.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Psychologists call this \u201csurfing the urge\u201d\u2014when the desire to distract comes up, you acknowledge it and commit to \u201csurfing\u201d on the feelings rather than diving into them or pushing them elsewhere.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exercise 2: Reframe the Situation<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/feedback-cycle\/\">The second way<\/a> to harness your discomfort\u2019s power is <em>rethinking the situation you\u2019re in<\/em> and finding a way to make it fun.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cFun\u201d doesn\u2019t always feel <\/strong><strong><em>good<\/em><\/strong><strong>\u2014it often feels like challenge, discovery, or most importantly, freedom from discomfort. <\/strong>Making your situation engaging decreases internal triggers such as boredom and frustration, which curbs your urge to escape into distracting behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Create More Fun&nbsp;<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Creating fun doesn\u2019t require you to <\/strong><strong><em>run away from<\/em><\/strong><strong> the situation by switching to a new activity or to <\/strong><strong><em>add elements<\/em><\/strong><strong> to it like points or friends.<\/strong> Rather, it requires that you <em>dive deeper <\/em>to discover new information, perspectives, and challenges within the situation. When you manipulate a familiar situation to give it a sense of novelty, challenge, or excitement, you reframe your effort or concentration as \u201cplay,\u201d making you feel more focused and engaged.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1) Dive deeper: <\/strong>Focus intently on the situation, break it down into its smallest elements, and learn as much about each element as you can.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, if you\u2019re bored with your job at a coffee shop, think about making the perfect latt\u00e9. This requires learning about different types of espresso, the cream content of different types of milk, the outcome of various steaming temperatures, and so on.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2) Create play: <\/strong>Come up with different challenges\u2014these should include different types of limitations because working within constraints sparks creativity and engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, if you have several essays to write, you might aim to write 3,000 words every day or set time limits to beat.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/how-to-stop-worrying-and-start-living\/parts-7-8\">Read our summary of <em>How to Stop Worrying and Start Living<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>to learn more about the benefits of finding ways to make your work interesting.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exercise 3: Rethink Who You Are&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s commonly thought that people have a <em>finite<\/em> amount of willpower. Once it\u2019s used up, you have to wait until your \u201ctank\u201d is full again. Many people use this idea to excuse unhealthy behaviors after class or work, such as vegging out on the couch in front of Netflix. <strong>However, scientists have recently found that <\/strong><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/willpower-depletion\/\">willpower depletion<\/a> isn\u2019t real<\/em><\/strong><strong>. <\/strong>Your willpower isn\u2019t running out\u2014rather your <em>belief <\/em>it\u2019s running out fuels defeated behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Willpower isn\u2019t a resource so much as an <em>emotion<\/em>\u2014it comes and goes depending on internal and external circumstances, and can be managed and controlled with reflection and practice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Imagine you\u2019re working on an overwhelming project and are feeling low on motivation. If you thought of willpower as a resource, you might give up because you \u201cneed a break.\u201d On the other hand, if you think of willpower as an emotion, you find a way to manage it in that moment, such as completing a small or easy part of the project to get a boost in motivation.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pay Attention to Labels<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to thinking about your willpower the right way, pay attention to the way you label yourself. <strong>When you label yourself a certain way\u2014for example, \u201ceasily distracted\u201d or \u201cimpulsive\u201d\u2014your behavior becomes more aligned with that label. <\/strong>This works positively, too: Calling yourself \u201cfocused\u201d or \u201cindistractable\u201d will prompt focused, indistractable behaviors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that it\u2019s especially important to be self-compassionate when you experience failure or setbacks. By chastising yourself or calling yourself a failure, you create greater internal discomfort which translates into more distracting habits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>One way that many people train themselves to be more self-compassionate is by talking to themselves as they&#8217;d talk to one of their friends\u2014we\u2019re naturally kinder with others than with ourselves, focusing on what went right and seeing the situation more objectively.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you get easily distracted by your phone, your coworkers, and other things around you? Do you blame external sources for your distracted behavior? As it turns out, the root of distraction is inside you, also known as internal distractions. We often turn to distractions when we want to escape the discomforts of our lives but there are ways to fight back. Here are three exercises that will help you push back against your internal distractions and stay focused on your tasks and goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":29524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,43],"tags":[428],"class_list":["post-42255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-self-improvement","tag-indistractable","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Control Your Internal Distractions - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you struggle to stay on task? Do you blame external distractions? As it turns out, internal distractions are the cause. Here&#039;s why.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/internal-distractions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Control Your Internal Distractions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Do you struggle to stay on task? Do you blame external distractions? As it turns out, internal distractions are the cause. 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