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This guide is based on Mixergy’s interview with Jared Goralnick.

After struggling with productivity his whole life, Jared Goralnick learned how to focus and has since launched several startups. It was all done by forcing the distractions out of his life, so we invited him to teach you how to do it.

Jared is the founder of AwayFind.com, a web application that stops you from constantly checking your email inbox, yet allows urgent emails to find you instantly.

Here are the actionable highlights from the interview.

1. Turn off all email and social network notifications to free up a third of your day

Jared related how a venture capitalist lost his train of thought during their video conference because an email notification popped up.

Take Action:
Switch off all the sounds and notifications on your mobile device, and opt out of receiving unnecessary automated emails.

2. Keep your inbox empty so you won’t feel guilty for falling behind on email

A Google product manager finally led hundreds of people without getting overwhelmed because Jared helped him manage 10,000 messages.

Take Action:
When you receive a new message, immediately respond, create a task, archive, or delete.

3. Clear your head so you won’t get distracted and drop the ball

Because Jared doesn’t worry about his errands during work, he completes his projects quicker.

Take Action:
Get stuff out of your head by writing down your thoughts on a piece of paper or set up calendar reminders for tasks that need to be done later.

4. Ignore the trivial things so you can focus on things that affect your bottom line

Because Jared spent a lot of time tracking his Twitter followers and Facebook friends, he lost some business he could have won.

Take Action:
Focus first on aspects of your business that will affect the most revenue.

5. Take regular breaks to rejuvenate yourself

Jared says that a lot of people set a kitchen timer to keep track of their work/break cycle, and during their ten-minute break, they go on a walk or read a magazine.

Take Action:
After focusing for 50 minutes, take a 10-minute break in a different environment.

6. Limit social media time so you won’t be sidetracked

Jared suggests using the time to write a great tweet or respond to people with thought-out messages.

Take Action:
Set aside less than an hour every day to update your social media accounts, and log out when the time’s up.

7. Unplug the Internet so you can get more stuff done offline

Jared met a girl at a coffee house who purposefully didn’t connect her laptop to the Internet because she wanted to focus on her thesis.

Take Action:
Literally unplug the Internet or turn off Wi-Fi.

8. Focus on one thing at a time to cross tasks off your list more quickly

Jared recommends emailga.me, which shows only one email message and forces you to handle it before moving on to the next one.

Take Action:
Put yourself in a quiet environment, and complete one task at a time.

9. Know your body’s rhythm so you can work more efficiently

Jared realized that carbs made him tired, so he energized himself with protein-heavy foods.

Take Action:
Recognize which types of food and time of the day energizes you the most, and then improve your diet or schedule.

10. Make time for work that interests you to get publicity

Because people noticed that Jared improved the Dream Line spreadsheet, AwayFind got hundreds of visitors every day.

Take Action:
Instead of just burning through your task list, find something else you want to accomplish, and make some time to do it.

11. Find colleagues and mentors to stay motivated

When Jared started AwayFind, he had weekly calls with another entrepreneur where they would advise and encourage each other through their big transitions in life.

Take Action:
Find a entrepreneur buddy or join a “mastermind” group, and hold each other accountable in order to keep motivation up.

Want to make sure you get results?

Watch the full interview now
Written by Chiara Fucarino, based on production notes by Jeremy Weisz