Distraction

Belonging to the intellectual work requires you to not getting distracted. Be it programming, writing, research or any work(simply put in one thing - solving the problem) where you want to be in the zone. Wikipedia defines it as-

the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information.

Psychological studies show that developers can slide into a focused working rhythm with music much faster than without. Music helps to block out annoying, distracting noises who gets on your nerves.

We’ve learned that people working or studying tend to take about 20 minutes to acclimate to their environment enough to really focus on the task at hand. It takes time for your brain to get used to a stimulus and start “tuning it out” in a process called “habituation”.

But does it really work? For me whenever I try to put headphones and start some instrumental music, at some level it helps but after some time when I'm in the zone this hack also starts creating the distraction. I end up stopping the music and wear just headphone so that it can reduce the noise little bit.

In last, I just wear headphone just to avoid things happening around me. If we think deeply, the problem is not that we are getting distracted. But it's because we're not able to concentrate on whatever we are doing. And this can't be only produced by noise. Sometimes you will observe that the problem you're solving if being solved easily no noise can distract you from solving it. This explains where the problem of distraction lies. It's within us!

Distraction

Thoughts about distraction

Follow me on Twitter