5 Things You Should Do To Stop Getting Distracted On Your iPad
Here's How You Can Win The Battle For Your Attention
Instant gratification is the enemy of productivity.
TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels: three platforms that can be helpful in moderation but disastrous if over-consumed. On TikTok alone, the average user spends 89 minutes per day. The first (and hardest) step to actually doing work is to start, and you can't do that if you're always scrolling through content.
Freeing yourself from distraction can unleash your potential: here's how you can stop getting distracted and start living a more productive life.
Use cool apps
Cool apps help you make the most of your iPad.
Apps like one sec can cut distractions out of your life.
One sec delays gratification by opening a breathing prompt before you open distracting apps (I use it to escape YouTube Shorts). Like me, you probably tend to open distracting apps out of boredom—taking a breather will help you avoid getting sucked into the world of social media.
Track your addiction
Seeing the impact of the addiction on your time makes you more efficient.
At the beginning of this post, I said that the average TikTok user spends 89 minutes per day on TikTok. If I showed this to TikTok users, many would probably feel bad.
Turn on Screen Time on your iPad—having a quantitative tracker of your social media consumption can help you track your progress over time. It can also reveal some harsh truths about your social media use.
To take this to the next level, you can also use Screen Time widgets as a constant reminder to be cautious with social media consumption.
Don't give yourself the choice
Guided Access is a pretty neat productivity trick.
I first used it to make sure my friends didn't do anything "interesting" when I gave them my phone (for some context, Guided Access doesn't let you exit apps without entering a set password). A while ago, I realized that Guided Access can be used to literally force you into staying on task.
I've tried it out a multiple times—there are a few annoyances, but it's a solid technique for any iPad user who struggles with distraction.
Get rid of your friends (for a few hours)
Focus Modes have been a game-changer.
I like to throw this word around a lot. With Focus Modes, I actually mean it.
Focus Modes let you create custom Focus Sessions for whatever you're doing. I use three Focus Modes throughout the day:
• a "morning" Focus Mode (to promote journaling and mindfulness)
• a "school" Focus Mode (to stay on task during school hours)
• an "afterschool" Focus Mode (so I can have a few minutes to relax after school).
I also use "writing" and "studying" focus modes if and when I need to.
For more info about Focus Modes, you can check out this video.
Make your iPad more boring than The Phantom Menace
This is a pretty extreme step, but it does work.
If you've tried everything above and you still can't get rid of distractions, you have a serious problem. And to solve a serious problem, you need a serious solution.
Delete every "fun" app on your iPad (yes, that includes Netflix). This transforms your iPad into a work-only device—every time you open your iPad, you'll only be able to do work.
Final Thoughts
"You can't do big things if you're distracted by small things"—absolutely no idea.
Thanks for reading!
Adi