Your phone is not neutral. It is engineered to compete for your attention — notifications, badges, vibrations, endless scroll. If you don’t decide where your focus goes, something else will. Mastering your mind starts with protecting your attention. Because where your attention goes, your energy follows.
Why Distraction Is So Costly
Every time you switch tasks, your brain burns more energy. Focus resets. Decision fatigue increases. Cortisol rises. Most people check their phones dozens — even hundreds — of times per day. That fragmentation adds up. Distraction doesn’t just steal time, it steals clarity.
8 Practical Ways to Minimize Distractions
- Choose Your Top 3 Priorities Daily
Define what matters before the day begins. I usually do this the night before so I have my list ready to go when I start working. - Time Block for Deep Work
Schedule 45 – 90 minute focus sessions. Guard them like appointments. I have exercise blocked on my calendar. This is my time that is non-negotiable. - Silence Non-Essential Notifications
If everything alerts you, nothing is important. - Create Friction
Move social apps off your home screen. Log out. Use blockers. Keep your phone in another room. - Single-Task
Multitasking is task-switching. Finish one thing before starting the next. I’m stopped multi-tasking years ago and I’m much calmer now. - Protect Your Energy
Poor sleep, skipped meals, and dehydration destroy focus. Your brain needs fuel and recovery. - Delay Immediate Responses
Not every message requires instant action. Urgent and loud are not the same thing. - Build Tech-Free Zones
Meals. Bedtime. Prayer. Family time. Presence requires boundaries.
The Shift
Minimizing distraction isn’t about rigid control. It’s about reclaiming agency. It’s choosing:
- Focus over frenzy
- Intention over impulse
- Depth over noise
Your attention is one of your most valuable assets. Guard it thoughtfully.
To your health!
Maria Karalis, RDN