Staying focused and on-task while working digitally can be a real challenge, especially for individuals who struggle with executive functioning and other similar attention-based challenges. In case you’re not familiar, executive function refers to a set of skills that we use to work, learn, and manage our daily lives. These skills include working memory, self-control, and flexible thinking. Those who struggle with executive functioning struggle with focus, directions, and even emotions. In previous e-bulletins we’ve explored apps that are specifically designed to alleviate some of these challenges. Today, we’re going to explore Windows 10 features and settings designed to customize and reduce the “distractibility” of Windows in order to create an ideal work/study experience.

Work with Focus Assist

Here, you can create lists and rules pertaining to which apps they want notifications for and when. You can even create an automatic rule that will allow notifications during certain times of the day.

To activate, click on the start menu, type “focus assist settings” and press enter.

Change your PC’s Notification Settings

This is your central notification hub. Turn notifications on or off, choose how your notifications appear, and finally, edit your notification list to ensure that notifications only come from select apps.

To explore your notifications settings, click on the start menu, type “notification settings” and press enter.

Explore Ease of Access Options

The Ease of Access feature contains a wide variety of accessibility-related settings and options. If you’re looking for something that has to do with built-in accessibility and Windows 10, it can probably be found here. Maybe you find that the animations in Windows are too distracting? That and much more can be adjusted via Ease of Access center.

To adjust Ease of Access settings, click on the start menu, type “ease of access” and press enter, or hit ctrl + alt + delete on your keyboard and click on the ease of access icon found on the bottom right of your screen.

Turn off Browser Notifications

After adjusting your PC, you may want to ensure that your browser notifications are also turned off, so that you’re not distracted by Facebook notifications while doing research. To turn off notifications for Chrome, click more (the … symbol on the top right), then Settings>Notifications>Off.

Tags: apps, AT HelpDesk, technology