How to create distraction free focus

Picture the scene… It’s 9am on a weekday, I have just arrived at my favourite coffee shop. A flat white is ordered and my laptop open. While waiting for my coffee, I consider what the most important thing is that I need to do today. I find the resources I need, avoid distractions (close emails, use the ‘do not disturb’ function on my phone etc.). My coffee arrives, and it is go time. You might consider this a boring scene, but for me it is the most important time of the working day. This is where I get all of my high impact work done.

I do of course get work done outside of these times, but if you read my post on productivity, you will know that I get anything that is important done in the mornings. In fact in the environment I described above, is where I fall into deep work.

Cal Newport, in his book, ‘Deep Work’ discusses the environment where you create a distraction free concentration where you can push your capacity to the limit. Outside of the specific scenario you create, such a level of concentration is difficult to replicate. Of course, you don’t need to be in a coffee shop at a particular time to cultivate deep work, but an individualized routine or set of circumstances are useful to unconsciously trigger that ‘now is the time to really switch on and get going with the most important thing.’

The framework set by Cal Newport is excellent in getting more things done. You have restricted amounts of willpower and using it up on distractions or trivial things leads to only having a limited…