How can I stay focused on work when I am overwhelmed by other things in life?

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Question: How can I stay focused on work when I am overwhelmed by other things in life?

A: This is for all of us today, isn’t it? It feels impossible to think about anything other than election issues.

But this is not just a problem once every four years. Life always gets in the way. If it’s not the constant stream of drama and tragedy served up on your news feed, it’s all the hustle and bustle of normal life: kids, parents, money, partners, life. The idea that work and life can be separated is a mistake. But in order to get things done, there needs to be some time to shut the world out.

I’ve covered how to improve your attention span, but if you feel your mind drifting back too often to an issue affecting your personal life or the world at large, there are a few other strategies you may want to take.

Time management coach and Fast company Elizabeth Grace Saunders suggests writing down everything on your mind and highlighting where you can take action. The result of the election? Out of your control. Saving for retirement and your child’s college? Something you can make a plan with.

Once you’ve identified things you can do something about, Saunders advises adding that to your to-do list or calendar, so you can always make progress. “Making changes to improve your mood is a healthy and useful way to use your emotional energy, instead of just distracting yourself from your phone,” he says.

And when you’re on your phone, if the news accidentally makes you scroll, you might want to enlist the help of a blocker (like Freedom.to) to continue turning off the temporary news. It doesn’t have to be a permanent block. You can set times to check news, with limits.

Finally, in the same way that planning to take action on personal issues can help ease the burden on your mind, channeling your concerns into larger world issues can help, too. There are always ways to donate time or resources to those in need, or ways to get involved in political issues that matter to you.

Here are some tips on how to stay focused during trying times: