Distraction is a serious enemy of focus, and I think that I’d like to take a few moments of your time to talk about bridge distractions.

If I’ve learned one thing about distractions during my time as a writer, it’s that you can’t avoid most of what causes it.

Can I command the lawnmower from three houses away to stop because I find it doggone impossible to focus on my bidding? Would it be okay to banish a barking dog in the instance that I just lost the game?

Well, no.

The best thing you can do with distractions is learning better ways to react to them (or alternatively, ways to cut them out from your frame of mind).

It sounds easier said-than-done, but I could give you some tips from personal experience.

I’ve walked entire trails just to ensure that work gets out on time.

Distractions are what you can make of them.

Here are 3 bridge distractions from Hell (& how to play through them).

1. Noise, Noise, Noise

I think it’s fair to say that noise (noise, noise!) is one of the most common distractions that bridge players could face.

Online or offline, noises of various types can get irritating and distracting fast. Everyone has a singular noise they absolutely hate, whether it’s The Gambler by Kenny Rogers or a beeping garbage truck.

Can’t handle the noise while trying to play bridge?

• Try noise-cancelling headphones to reduce the dB levels of ambient sound to sensitive, bridge-playing ears.

• Find your ideal bridge playlist, and cover up any noise with the best possible music you can imagine. Death metal or sixties folk? That’s up to you.

2. Notifications

App notifications can be important some of the time, but it might also be a flood of 300 messages from a recipe sharing group that you can’t be bothered with in the middle of a good bridge game.

If you would like certain notifications turned off, settings is the best place to find it. Specific app settings can be found in your smart device’s App Manager.

Notifications can be muted for a specific time if you’d prefer quiet for the time it takes to play through a game. For the really annoying groups or apps, notifications can also be entirely muted from your device.

3. Visitors

Visitors are a blessing for some, but can also be an annoyance if someone you don’t know well enough shows up at an inappropriate time – baths, showers, seances, or bridge games.

Personally, I have a list of people who can show up unannounced. It’s a really, really short list.

Set out times for online bridge, or just pretend that you’re not home and make your way to the 13th trick.

As a last resort, get a friendly mat or NO DISTURB sign that makes the message clear while you’re playing bridge.

What’s the worst distraction you’ve ever had to face during a bridge game, and how did you get yourself to play through it?