Minimization tips to improve focus

What is minimalism?

Minimalism typically refers to limiting your material possession to cut down on clutter and remove distractions from your life. Taking steps to simplify your daily life helps improve your focus, but you don’t need to start selling all your belongings to start practicing a minimalist lifestyle. Following aspects of digital minimalism can help you limit your screen time to the things that matter. Focus on work or school by limiting the constant distractions bombarding you on all your devices and in your workspace.

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How can minimalism help you focus?

Think of the last time you sat down to focus on a research paper for school or your next big presentation for work—how long did you spend working before getting distracted by a notification on your phone or laptop? Digital distractions have become so common you might not even realize how often you reach for your device to check the time and end up mindlessly scrolling through social media. Practicing minimalism, especially digital minimalism, can help improve your productivity by limiting distractions.

How to use minimalism to limit distractions at work and school

There’s no one way to practice minimalism but taking steps to simplify your daily routine can help you focus on what’s important.

Set “no device” times

As soon as your roll over in bed to turn off your phone, you might find yourself checking your email, scrolling through Facebook, or texting your friends back. Starting and ending your day on your phone fills your mind with information that distracts you from what you need to do. Setting specific times of the day that you don’t use your devices, like first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed, can help you focus on staying present in your daily life.

Set digital boundaries

Staying available at all times of the day adds an extra layer of distraction—even when you’re not on your device, you might be subconsciously waiting for the next notification. Whether it’s texting your friends back immediately or responding to work emails after hours, you don’t have an obligation to be online 24/7. Remind yourself to take time offline and set boundaries that you won’t always be able to immediately respond to non-urgent messages.

Be smart about notifications

Push notifications help alert us of important messages or updates, but they’re also one of the most distracting elements of digital devices. When focusing on work or school, consider setting your phone to Do Not Disturb to avoid being distracted by incoming texts. You can adjust the settings so that you still get notifications from specific phone numbers, for example, your family member’s phone numbers.

Since emails tend to be even less urgent than direct messages, try turning off email notifications or removing the app from your phone altogether. Set specific times of day to check your personal and work emails so you don’t miss important messages.

Take breaks offline

Taking breaks while working helps clear your mind and improves your overall daily productivity. However, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest news story or social media update, turning your short break into a total time-suck. Spend your breaks quieting your mind by going for a walk, making yourself a cup of tea, or reading a few pages of a book. You’ll find yourself refreshed instead of distracted!

Declutter your workspace

Minimalism focuses on reducing the distractions in your life, from digital distractions to material objects. While you might not want to limit your possessions, try reducing the items around you while you focus on work, school, or your passion projects. Paper clutter, knick-knacks, and unnecessary cables and chargers distract from the task at hand. Go a step further by decluttering your digital spaces and organizing your notes to make them easier to reference. Taking even 10 minutes per day to organize and declutter your workspace can improve your focus.

Make the first step toward boosting your productivity by minimizing your daily distractions. The next time you sit down to a busy day of work or school, you’ll thank yourself for making life a little simpler.