Do you ever feel like a failure because your day didn’t start the way you planned?

That happened to me this morning.

I got a random call during my creative session.

One of my kids woke up earlier and moodier than usual.

Plus, living in the country, I sometimes hear weird animal noises outside and my chickens can get rowdy.

Distractions are unavoidable. So how do you stop these little hindrances from completely ruining your day?

Today I’m going to share my strategy for blocking out distractions so that you can focus like a hungry cheetah on a gazelle. (I was watching Our Universe last night with Morgan Freeman)

My strategy is called the Deep Dopamine Discovery.

It’s designed to help you get into a flow state, even if you have a few children, chickens, and cheetahs in the background.

STEP 1 - Radical Reflection

Form a daily meditation practice.

Set aside 5 minutes to sit in a chair and observe your breath. It shouldn’t be complicated. 

This trains your mind to focus on one thing at a time. Consider this a warm up just like you’d do before a strength training session.

Thoughts will come up but simply let them pass (those are also distractions).

Over time, you’ll have a powerful focus muscle that will give you the ability to become distractionless for longer sessions.

STEP 2 - Block Out Noise

Get some noise-canceling headphones.

If you don’t have any, don’t worry.

Normal headphones will work fine but I found noise-canceling to be ideal.

This one is pretty self-explanatory.

These will help block out any noise from tickling your ears depending on how good they are but this leads to my next point.

STEP 3 - Deep Triggers

Listen to brown noise. 

Brown noise is similar to the sounds you hear in the womb.

I know it sounds weird but it's very calming and helps to filter out distractions even further.

I use one on YouTube.

Just search for deep-layered brown noise - 10 hours.

STEP 4 - Create Urgency

Set a physical timer for how long you plan to work.

I like to work for at least 60-90 minutes in the morning before my job to pursue my creative projects.

A physical timer works well because it brings a sense of urgency.

It’s like an accountability partner and gives you constraints to complete your work within the time limit.

I don’t recommend using your phone. It’ll just become another distraction. Turn all of your notifications off and set it to the side.

TL;DR

1 - Radical Reflection - Start a meditation practice

2 - Block Out Noise - Use special headphones

3 - Deep Triggers - Background brown noise

4 - Create Urgency - Use a physical timer

That’s it! With the Deep Dopamine Discovery system, I’m now able to focus better on my writing and coding sessions.

Hopefully, it will do the same for you.

I know it’s easy to get pissed off when things randomly bother you, but just know that with some mindfulness and this routine, it will be easier for you to get back on the productivity train whenever you fall off.

If you learned something, like and share this with a friend who needs it, leave a reply with your thoughts, and subscribe for more mental mastery strategies like these.

See you in the next one!