How I Stay Focused in a World Built to Distract Me

You know those days when everything feels like it’s moving a little too fast? Notifications are pinging nonstop, your to-do list is multiplying like rabbits, and somehow, you’ve been “working” all day… but have nothing to show for it?

Yep, I’ve been there too. Welcome to life in the attention economy.

If you’re feeling scattered, unfocused, and overwhelmed by all the noise in the world right now – especially as a solo business owner trying to make meaningful progress – this post is for you. I’m sharing my best focus tips for entrepreneurs who are navigating life and business in 2025, with all its distractions, unpredictability, and constant demands.

Let’s dig into what’s really causing that scattered feeling. And more importantly, how you can get back to a place of clarity, calm, and focused productivity.

Hit play or read the post below:

Prefer to listen? Check out episode 53 of The Productive Entrepreneur Podcast.

The Real Reason You Feel So Scattered Right Now

First things first: you’re not broken.

The world we’re living in is designed to steal your attention. And in 2025, that’s more true than ever. Between the nonstop news cycle, political turmoil, and constant social media updates, it’s no wonder so many of us are feeling unfocused and mentally fried.

This isn’t just your imagination. It’s what researchers call the “attention economy.” Everything (and everyone) is competing for your mental bandwidth.

As a solo business owner working from home, that chaos doesn’t just stay outside your front door. It creeps into your workspace, your creative time, your decision-making, and your ability to get anything truly meaningful done.

And here’s the problem: when you’re constantly reacting to the world around you, you never get to create the kind of deep, focused work that moves your business forward.

Distraction Audit: What’s Really Pulling You Off Track?

Let’s pause for a quick exercise.

Grab a notebook or open up the notes app on your phone and jot down three things that regularly break your focus during the workday. Be brutally honest here.

Here are mine:

• Checking news updates randomly throughout the day
• Getting pulled into political rabbit holes on social media
• Multitasking when I should be focused on deep work

What about you?

Maybe it’s family interruptions. Maybe it’s your Slack channel or inbox. Maybe it’s your own brain bouncing between five different projects at once.

Whatever it is, identifying these distractions is the first step toward doing something about them.

Because as the saying goes, “You can’t change what you don’t track.”

Real Talk: Perfectionism Is a Hidden Focus Killer

Let me tell you about one of my community members who had a huge aha moment around distraction.

She realized that her biggest focus-killer wasn’t her phone or her inbox. It was her own perfectionism.

She’d start a project, then get stuck endlessly tweaking and researching. The result? Nothing ever got finished. Once she identified the pattern, she created systems to work around it:

• A “good enough” checklist for blog posts
• Strict time limits on research
• A timer during editing to curb endless revisions
• A “three edits max” rule. (Then it gets shipped or shared with someone for feedback)
• A “ship it” calendar appointment where she had to release her work, no matter what

So smart, right?

Distraction doesn’t always look like scrolling Instagram. Sometimes it’s your own brain overcomplicating things.

Strategy Tip: Try a Control Inventory

If your biggest distraction right now is anxiety from the news (hi, it’s me too), try this:

Open your notes app and create a simple list with two columns

• Things I Can Control
• Things I Can’t Control

Get all those spinning thoughts out of your head. This simple little exercise helps you redirect your energy toward what actually matters in your day-to-day business life.

Because here’s the truth: in chaotic times, your focus becomes your superpower.

Clean Up Your Environment (Yes, Even Digitally)

Think of your workspace like a garden. It needs tending. When it’s overrun with weeds (a.k.a. clutter), nothing can grow. Not your creativity. Not your productivity. Not your revenue.

Here are some ways to clean things up:

For Your Physical Space:

• Clear your desk except for what you’re actively working on
• Set up a dedicated workspace to signal “this is work time”
• Use noise-canceling headphones (they’ve been a game-changer for me!)
• Keep your phone in another room during focus blocks

For Your Digital Space:

• Close those extra browser tabs (I see you with 23 open… no judgment!)
• Use a website blocker like to avoid distracting sites
• Turn off push notifications. Yes, even the “harmless” ones
• Set up a separate browser profile for work only
• Only check email at set times – three times per day works great for me

Bonus tip: tidy up your desk at the end of the day. It takes five minutes and sets you up for a smoother morning.

Prioritize What Matters (And Stop Falling for the Urgent Trap)

Once you’ve created a distraction-free zone, the next question is: what should I actually focus on?

Here’s where the Eisenhower Matrix can help.

This simple tool divides your tasks into four categories:

1. Urgent & Important → Do right away
2. Important but Not Urgent → Schedule these (these are the real needle-movers)
3. Urgent but Not Important → Delegate if you can
4. Neither Urgent nor Important → Eliminate

Most of us spend waaay too much time in quadrants 1 and 3. But the tasks that grow your business? Those live in quadrant 2.

The challenge is that during politically chaotic times, it’s easy to misclassify things. Reading the latest news? It feels urgent and important. But is it really?

For your business? Probably not.

Real Talk: I Was Wasting Hours and Didn’t Even Realize It

Let me give you a personal example.

I use an app called Clockify that tracks my time on the computer. After feeling like I was “busy but not productive” for weeks, I checked my data.

Y’all, I was spending hours on news and non-work sites. I didn’t even realize how much it was adding up.

Now? I’m ruthless about protecting my “important but not urgent” time. That’s the time I use to build assets in my business. For me, that’s things like course creation, strategic planning, and systems building.

Morning Routine Tip: Focus First, News Later

This one shift alone has been a game-changer for me.

Each morning, before I check email or social media or the news, I write down my top 1–3 priorities for the day. I put them in Asana and tackle the first one before letting any outside noise in.

Try it this week. You might be surprised how much more productive (and less anxious) you feel.

Routines = Your Secret Weapon for Focus

I’m a big believer in routines. Not because I want every day to feel the same, but because routines reduce decision fatigue.

Here’s what my weekday routine looks like:

• 6:00–7:00 AM – Morning routine (coffee + journaling + planning)
• 8:00–9:00 AM – Startup checklist
• 9:00–11:30 AM – Deep work block (no email or social!)
• 11:30–2:30 PM – Lunch, workout, errands
• 2:30–4:00 PM – Second project block
• 4:00–4:30 PM – Admin tasks + email
• Hourly – 15-minute movement breaks

And, if you’re wondering, time blocking is how I manage my routine.

But the point isn’t to copy my routine. It’s to create one that works for your energy and lifestyle.

One community member does her best creative work from 8–11 PM after her kids go to bed. Another front-loads client calls in the morning so she can focus on her business in the afternoon.

You do you. Just be consistent.

Bonus Focus Tools You Can Try Today

Even with the best systems and routines, we all have days where our brains just won’t cooperate. That’s where these tools come in handy:

• 4-7-8 Breathing – Inhale 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Calms your nervous system fast.
• 15-Minute Rule – Struggling to start? Commit to just 15 minutes of focused work.
• Brain Dump – Write out everything swirling in your head. Then sort out what actually matters.
• Browser Blockers – BlockSite and Freedom are great options to help you avoid temptation.

Let’s Recap: Focus Tips for Entrepreneurs in a Chaotic World

Let’s bring it all together with a quick recap of the most important focus tips for entrepreneurs – especially those of us running solo businesses in a world full of distractions:

1. It’s not just you. The attention economy is real, and you’re not crazy for feeling overwhelmed.
2. Identify your distractions, so that you can start addressing them.
3. Clean up your physical and digital space – you can’t focus in chaos.
4. Set clear priorities. And protect your “important but not urgent” time like your business depends on it (because, seriously, it does).
5. Build routines that work for you – no more reinventing the wheel every morning.
6. Use mindfulness techniques when needed, so you can gently bring yourself back to focus.

Action Steps to Take This Week

Let’s turn this inspiration into action:

✅ Do a distraction audit: track what pulls your focus for one full day
✅ Try a “Focus First, News Later” morning routine
✅ Pick one focus tool (like the 15-minute rule or browser blocker) and use it daily

Just three small shifts can have a huge impact.

Want More Help Reclaiming Your Focus?

If this topic resonates with you, I’ve created a course called Find Your Focus Bootcamp that walks you through everything we talked about today, plus way more. You’ll get video lessons, checklists, and an implementation plan so you can build a focus system that actually works in real life.

Your time is too valuable to spend it spinning your wheels.

👉 Check out Find Your Focus Bootcamp

And hey, if you try any of the strategies from today’s post, tag me on Instagram so I can cheer you on! Or reply to my next email and tell me what worked for you.

Until next time, remember: any step toward more focus is a win.

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• 27 Productivity Hacks That Will Help You Skyrocket Your Business
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• 7 Tips To Be Productive In Difficult Times