Problem: Article: Working somewhere you won't be distracted by TV, side-conversations, and other chatter is absolutely essential to learning how to focus. Sometimes, it's tempting to think that sitting in the living room with your roommates or your family is a better and less stressful way to work, but it'll end up taking twice as long and the work will be half as good. If you've got to do something that demands your attention, head to a quiet corner in your room, or head out to the library. If you can't work somewhere quiet, consider investing in sound reduction headphones that'll help to cut out the chatter and center you into what you're doing, whatever it is. If you don't want fancy headphones, check out white noise generators on line, letting ambient music or background static overwhelm the distracting conversations happening around you. It's not just calls and texts anymore, now you've got to worry about social networking updates, emails coming through, and Words with Friends challenges popping up on your phone every five seconds. There's nothing more distracting than a cellphone. Turn it off and put it away when you need to focus. Putting your phone on silent still makes it easy to check. It's better to physically put it somewhere it will be difficult to access. If you're working in your room, charge your phone in another room. If your phone proves very distracting, consider eliminating certain time-suck apps from your phone. You don't actually need Facebook and Twitter on there. When you're about to get started, look at the clock. How much time do you have to work? How much time will you need to complete the project? How much time can you afford to give it today? Decide how long you're going to work on the task at hand and get cracking. Schedule periodic breaks. It's common to work 50 minutes on, and then take 10 minutes off to get up, walk around, get a drink, and do something else for a while. It'll be less tempting to look at a funny YouTube video right now if you know you'll be able to in another 20 minutes, anyway and not feel guilty about it. Most people work on computers, which is a shaky proposition for a lot of people. Your term paper is right next door to Facebook, wikipedia, and Buzzfeed, meaning that no matter how deep you are into some good work, writing, research, or whatever demands your digital attention, a good YouTube downward spiral is never more than a click away. Learn to recognize your time-wasting habits and head them off at the pass. The easiest way to make it difficult to screw around online is to turn the Internet off. Shut of your WiFi connection so you won't be able to log on and mess around. StayFocused, Anti-Social, LeechBlock, and Cold Turkey are all blockers that you can install if you must use the Internet to complete your work. These will block specific websites, or your whole connection for certain periods of time that you can customize. If you struggle with this, it can be a good idea. Sometimes, you have the best intentions and still social media sucks you in. We say to ourselves, "I've got five minutes, I'm just going to look at Facebook quickly," and an hour later you're elbow-deep in your roommate's high school frenemy's vacation pictures from six years ago. How does this happen? Mute or unsubscribe from all your friends on social media who don't enrich your experience. If you end up getting distracted because of your childhood friend's anti-government screeds on Facebook, don't waste time reading them. Block them, or better yet, unfriend all your imaginary social networking friends. Focus on more important things. Set up your email so it won't alert you every time something new comes in, and organize work emails and personal emails into separate folders or separate accounts to help keep everything straight. You won't have to worry about getting sucked into a catch-up email from grandma while you're working if you don't see it until later. Emails shouldn't demand your immediate attention. Not all distractions are YouTube-related. Sometimes, you're focused entirely on reading that novel for English class and all of a sudden your ex pops into your head. Game over. If you find yourself distracted by feelings of anxiety, or common emotional ruts, learn to recognize your habits and better head them off at the pass. If you find yourself distracted by a wandering mind, don't try to tell yourself to stop, give yourself a break. Saying, "Don't think about pink elephants" will always put a pachyderm in your mind. Let yourself think about it for a minute, let yourself be distracted, and get it out of your system. Then put it away.
Summary: Find a quiet place to work. Turn off your phone and put it away. Set a specific amount of time to work on one thing. Make it impossible to waste time online. Optimize your social media and e-mail filters. Pinpoint your emotional distractions.

Problem: Article: The term "emotional debt" is often used to describe emotions that we have never fully healed from and allow to play out repeatedly in our day to day lives. You should be honest with yourself about any past emotions that are still lingering, consciously breaking the patterns that you have developed as a response to those emotions, and step outside your comfort zone. This will allow you to be aware of how past emotions influence you and to move past them. You might think that your comfort zone protects you from bad feelings, but by staying there, you are letting those unpleasant emotions hold you back. When you step outside of it, you can take control over them. When some experience or person falls short of the expectations you place on them, it hurts. Remove as many expectations as you can from your life, and when you do make an expectation, keep it as broad and undefined as possible. This stops you from subjecting yourself to emotional pain for everything that doesn't go exactly how you'd like it to. You can also change your expectations to be more realistic. For example, you expecting that today will be warm is much less likely to disappoint than expecting that today will be exactly 73 degrees Fahrenheit, breezy, and sunny. Keeping busy is shown to improve contentment. Deliberately choose activities that drive you toward your goals or somehow benefit you. Offering yourself incentives will help justify staying busy. It also allows you to pour your energy into work, working out, cleaning your house, etc., rather than seeking out emotional ties. Avoid letting people get too close or control you with promises, pleas, or apologies. Define the types of relationships you want to be in, and have only those relationships. Be in control of how invested you are in any given relationship. If you are overwhelmed by past traumas and cannot seem to let the emotion go, you may need the help of a professional psychologist. Issues like chronic depression or anxiety should not be ignored. Your therapist can help you decide what clinical approaches and/or medications might be appropriate to help you move past your emotional debt.
Summary:
Let go of your past emotions. Avoid setting specific expectations. Keep yourself busy. Keep relationships on your terms. Seek professional therapy.