Distractions go hand in hand with procrastination. It can hard to work with all the distractions that are just naturally there in everyones lives: email, cell phones, Twitter, music, television-all these can make it hard to get anything done.

For me, the ‘work’ is homework. With my first year in high school coming to a close, I can say that I’ve learned a lot about work habits, time management, and getting things done this year.

I don’t get a ton of homework (unlike a lot of people I know) but it’s still not exciting to me. Since making homework exciting is pretty much out of the question, the only thing I can do is make the place I do my homework “enjoyable.”

Although I’m writing about my “homework habits,” this post could probably be applied to any type of work.

The Best Workspace

The ideal place to work for everyone is different. Some thrive in clutter, others can’t work with a sock on the floor. For me, I’m the latter. My workspace is a clean, neat space, free of all clutter. If my workspace is the least bit messy, I have to clean it up before I start working (call me crazy.)

Cutting the Distractions

For things I find pointless or boring, like homework, I find that I am more productive when I focus on that task and that task only. That means clearing all other papers and work off my desk.

There are outside distractions besides clutter, too. Music is okay (and even productive!) for many things, but really anti-productive at other times. For instance, I love blogging and listening to music, or doing homework sheets and listening to music. However, for stuff that requires a lot of concentration (for instance, math proofs) I find that turning the music off helps. The same goes for instant messenger, television, Twitter, cell phones, etc.

My rule of thumb is this: If something is more interesting than the task that actually needs to be completed, it shouldn’t be part of the workspace.

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