Imagine the scene. You sit down at your computer, ready to spend a few hours accomplishing important tasks.
But as soon as you turn on the device, a stream of notifications arrives. There are emails to check and a few messages to reply to. Once that’s done, check out social media and your favorite news sites.
Before you know it, an hour has passed and you haven’t made any progress. Sound familiar? It’s something almost all of us have experienced at some point, but that doesn’t mean we should be at the mercy of these distracting tools.
While some features in Windows 11 can throw us off track, others are specifically designed to help you focus. By using them, you can do what you need to without going down another YouTube rabbit hole.
Here are six key ways to reduce distractions in Windows 11.
Use Focus Sessions
It makes sense to start with the Windows 11 feature that has “focus” in its name. Tune-up sessions were only introduced in 2022, but they provide a useful set of tools to stay focused on the task.
To get started, find and open the “Clock” app. Chat sessions should open automatically, but click the tab on the left side if it doesn’t.
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From there, simply choose how long you want to focus on and click “Start Focus Session”. By default, any session lasting 30 minutes or longer will include at least one short break. Do Not Disturb will also be turned on during every tune-up session (unless you turn it off), limiting notifications to those you consider priority (more on that below).
Along with an overview of your progress, Focus Sessions offers integration with Microsoft To Do for a to-do list and Spotify for music and podcasts that will help you stay focused.
For an easier user experience, you can also start a focus session via Settings > System > Focus.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Enable Do Not Disturb
Focus sessions enable Do Not Disturb, but there may be times when you want to enable it manually or in certain situations.
Head to Settings > System > Notifications and click the button next to “Do Not Disturb” to turn it on or off at any time. Underneath, click “Enable automatic do not disturb mode” to expand this section. Choose a regular schedule to turn it on or off, or check the box next to one of the four scenarios below.
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However, the crucial part here is the option below – “Set priority notifications”. Click on it, then decide if you want calls and reminders to be allowed.
To remove an app from the priority list, click on the three dots next to it and choose “Remove”. To add anything, click the “Add apps” button and select something from the list.
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Manage Notifications
But even when Do Not Disturb is turned off, you don’t want all apps sending you notifications.
Go back to Settings > System > Notifications and scroll down to the “Notifications from apps and other senders” section. All apps that can send notifications will be displayed here, sorted by most recent – this can be changed alphabetically if you prefer.
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To turn off notifications for any app, just click the toggle to change it to the “Off” position. But for more granular control, click anywhere outside of the toggle and choose how its notifications are delivered.
Learn more in our separate article on managing notifications in Windows 11.
Block distracting sites
But if you use a web browser while you work, it’s these distracting sites that could be wasting your time the most. While Edge, Chrome, and Firefox don’t have a built-in tool to block websites, there are plenty of third-party extensions that do the job. Here are three of the most popular:
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On Microsoft Edge, your best option is Focus Squirel. All are free and basically work the same way, so it’s worth trying them all out and seeing what works for you.
Reduce taskbar clutter
The Windows 11 taskbar contains many default apps and tools, and you may have pinned others. To avoid the temptation to click on something distracting, it’s worth deleting anything you don’t need.
Head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Use the drop-down list to choose how you want the search bar to appear (if any), then turn off task view, widgets, and chat if you’re not using them. Below, choose which system tray icons to display.
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Now look at the apps you’ve pinned to the taskbar. To remove some, just right-click and choose “Unpin from Taskbar”.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Learn more in our separate article on how to customize the Windows 11 taskbar.
The Start menu is another area that can get cluttered and get in the way. Luckily, Microsoft has plenty of ways to help you streamline this.
Head to Settings > Personalization > Start and decide if you want more pins, more recommendations, or even a mix of the two. The former is generally the best for reducing distractions.
Below, turn off the toggles for “Show recently added apps”, “Show most used apps” (if available), “Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer” and ” View recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more.”
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Next, click on “Folders” and disable any that you think might distract you.
Learn more in our separate article on customizing the Windows 11 Start menu.
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