{"id":1054,"date":"2015-07-08T11:49:24","date_gmt":"2015-07-08T11:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.shareasimage.com\/?p=1054"},"modified":"2019-04-09T19:28:18","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T00:28:18","slug":"productivity-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getstencil.com\/blog\/productivity-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Effortless Productivity Tips To Stop Online Distractions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine this:<\/p>\n

You work in an office filled with distractions.<\/p>\n

Every 30 seconds someone comes and throws something random onto your desk.<\/p>\n

Your phone rings every other minute, people are tapping you on the back, and there is always someone walking around showing you a video of something funny.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d never get anything done, would you?<\/p>\n

But if you work on the Internet, this is your entire life.<\/p>\n

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of distractions to contend with every minute. Never mind all the other<\/em> tasks you put on yourself.<\/p>\n

And, if you\u2019re honest\u2026it\u2019s hard to say no.<\/p>\n

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But in this article you\u2019re going to learn how to make it easier. These are simple productivity tips to make sure you stay focused and you get more done in less time, with fewer distractions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tip #1: Download A Site Blocker<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve probably heard about these Site Blockers\u2013 and even thought about using one \u2013 but they\u2019re one of those often talked about tools that\u2019s rarely used.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019re incredible<\/em> for boosting your productivity.<\/p>\n

Quite simply, they take willpower out of the equation. Which, as observed by George Mason University<\/a> in a study on productivity in the workplace:<\/p>\n

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\u201cOur results confirm the psychological argument according to which willpower is a limited resource and can reduce the performance in subsequent tasks\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So the more willpower you have left over, the more energy you have to want<\/em> to work on those important tasks that need doing (instead of researching Joe Pesci trivia\u2026nope, just me?).
\nBy blocking sites you spend far too much time on, or that constantly give you notifications \u2013 like Facebook and Twitter \u2013 your focus isn\u2019t broken and you can work at a higher quality for longer.<\/p>\n

Personally I like to use RescueTime<\/a>, because it not only blocks how much<\/em> time you spend on your computer (which can be a wake up call in itself), but because it logs your most distracting sites and let\u2019s you block them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But if you don\u2019t<\/em> want to spend money on an App, you can also use the Chrome extension Stay Focused<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/p>\n

Which allows you to pick and choose the sites you want to block, or take their full nuclear option<\/strong> which blocks you out of the Internet for a defined time.<\/p>\n

And, both of these apps can be used on your phone, too. Which prevents you from having a sneaky procrastination session on there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tip #2: Learn To Say The \u2018Right\u2019 Words<\/strong><\/h2>\n

James Clear wrote a stellar article for Buffer on the science of saying no<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In it, he identifies that your self talk \u2013 the words you say in your own head \u2013 can have a big impact on your actions, especially when it comes to productivity.<\/p>\n

What he basically says is that there are better ways to say no than you\u2019re doing it right now.<\/p>\n

Researchers from the Journal of Consumer Research<\/a> took three groups of people to a health and wellness seminar and asked them to set a goal. Then over the next 10 days, if they were tempted to cheat or go against their goal, they were told to decline in three different ways:<\/p>\n