Distractions are the bane of every busy life. They occur when we try to accomplish too much at once, or when we are under significant stress. Distractions can occur when you're engaged in conversation with someone who isn't on the same page, or when you have to deal with people not paying attention. However, distracted driving is more common. In fact, it's one of the leading causes of auto accidents. The main problem is distraction.
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The common distractions are the ones that occur regularly - watching TV, using the computer, listening to music, chatting with friends, surfing the web, talking on the phone, reading, etc. When you have multiple sources of distractions, your attention away from the task at hand is significantly increased. Distraction is often described as a band-aid solution to short-term problems. The problem is that distraction adds up over time, and that's a problem because the sooner it's eliminated, the better. While we'd all love to get rid of distractions as soon as they come into view, the reality is that unless you're a super fast typist, you're going to be very distracted by something or someone at some point during the day.

The solution is to use distraction tools, which basically serve the purpose of "distracting" you from whatever it is that distracts you. For many, the easiest way to stay focused and get more done is to turn off the social media, turn off the phone, or (if you have a laptop) download an app that automatically switches your focus to another window. For example, one app that I use to keep my attention away from Twitter, Facebook, and other distractions is called Twitionic. It's a neat little tool that automatically loads up when you login to Twitter and switch your attention to other windows.

Another distraction is to pay attention to your surroundings, and in particular, paying attention to your body language and tone of voice. There are two primary ways this works. One way is to simply ignore distractions as you go. This is easier said than done since, let's face it, we're human and if we can't ignore things, we tend to become distracted. So what I do to distract myself is actually paying attention to the environment I'm in instead of paying attention to the distractions around me.

For instance, let's say there are five people walking down the street, and one person is walking in front of you. You look in their direction, and you hear a funny noise and look again. That person suddenly gets distracted and starts talking on his cell phone, while another person walks by. Now, you're distracted from paying attention to the person who just walked by, and you start paying attention to the funny noise that came from the other guy and ended up him chatting on his cell phone.

In contrast, if you had a window, or if you're sitting at your desk with a book open, chances are good you would still be paying attention to what's going on in front of you. By ignoring distractions you can make sure you stay focused on your work. This process of diverting your attention away from the distractions is known as internal distraction, while distracting external distractions are external distractions that were caused by the environment in which you were working. An example of internal distraction is listening to an interesting book, watching TV, or surfing the Internet.

A classic example of a short-term distractibility is when people talk on the cell phone while driving. A common occurrence. You may look at the phone and wonder how someone can talk on it while driving. However, the reason that people do this all the time is because it's not always possible to have both hands on the steering wheel at once. So for some reason, they resort to looking out the window or texting as they drive.
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Another common short-term distractibility is when an individual is standing in line at the cash register and is paying attention to a price tag. While paying attention to the price tag he or she inadvertently brushes up against something that they shouldn't. The unpleasant reality is that he or she bumped their arm against the sticker. This automatically redirects their attention to the price tag, rather than their accidental bump. A more long-term type of distraction is when an individual is in a room with loud noises being played in the background. While trying to listen to the music, the distraction is often used as a way to block out the noise and concentrate on where you are trying to go.