There are always opportunities to be distracted, no matter what your day-to-day routines appear like. In the workplace daily interruptions like messages from the phone, meetings scheduled but not yet and chatting with coworkers could easily make you get lost in your thoughts. There are distractions at home , too like a pet who is desperate to be heard or the sounds of the dishwasher and that pile of bills that you have to pay.
Distractions are a normal element of our lives and when done in moderation, can be beneficial. Short break throughout the day aid in recharging your mind and prevent burnout and stress. But, if you spend excessive time to other tasks you’re reducing your productivity.
Avoiding distractions isn’t an easy target to reach. At times, you may be at your desk, dreading to get back on track. “All good, lets try this,”” your mind says to you. You go to Word or Google Drive and create a new document. You are aware of what must do, however how is the best way to accomplish it?
You write a few sentences but you can’t focus. Then you consider, “Perhaps I should wake my mind with something exciting,” and you go to Facebook for about 20 minutes. Then you’ll spend an hour incessantly scrolling through YouTube videos. Lunch time arrives in a flash and half of the day has gone by.
Although technology has helped make productivity greater, technology also has made getting things accomplished a little more difficult due to the myriad of options you have using it. How do you manage distractions in a hectic working environment? Here are some suggestions to assist you:
Set Goals For Yourself
In order to learn to stay focused It is crucial to begin with a solid foundation to keep your concentration. This means determining the reason you should be focused initially. Do you have to prepare for a huge task at work in the coming week? Are you interested in learning how to utilize a brand new software and must concentrate for an hour every day to learn about it?
Setting your goal in the beginning will enable you to dedicate your time to learning how to stay focused. Understanding the reasons we must remain focused will help us get through the tough and time-consuming aspects of reaching our objectives. It is at this point that our ability to concentrate is tested to the max and is the most important thing to have.
Do not Multitask
The pressure of juggling multiple tasks at the same time has been proven repeatedly in research to decrease productivity. It also appears that it affects our ability to concentrate. An 2009 Stanford study found that multitaskers who were heavily engaged in media had difficulty filtering out distractions in cognitive ability tests.
The act of scrolling on Instagram while watching TV is a prime illustration of multitasking in media. Researchers were not sure if the multitaskers are born in a state of being unable to concentrate or if their arduous multitasking impaired their ability to concentrate.
Avoid Procrastination
To make sure you finish the three or two tasks, it is important to be able to complete them earlier to ensure that you stay focused on the task and not feel stressed. This means you’re thinking about how you can complete them the moment you get up.
It’s not easy to put off these tasks to later will only lead to distraction. It’s inevitable that distractions will come as unexpected emails or social media posts and a child who needs the attention of a parent, or colleagues who need assistance in their work. All of these can drain your mental energy and make it hard to concentrate on the task that is at hand.
Stop Notifications
Mobile phones, and even smartwatches have combined personal and professional communications. Calls and emails for work are now available from the same device. It can also be used to receive privacy-oriented Facebook messages, Instagram photos, and various other personal data.
Because of the addictive nature of these devices, rules to restrict the use of such technology at work are not always effective because it’s difficult to establish rules on what information people are allowed to view on their personal devices.
The people who are able to effectively handle the issue tend to be more efficient. For instance you and your colleagues may agree to take your phone down for a specific duration of your day to enable you to concentrate on a specific area of work.
The Key Takeaway
It’s definitely more difficult to know how to stay clear of distractions. Distractions can be found in all aspects of our lives today even if they’re as easy as a brief beep that comes from the notification. These kinds of distractions might seem minor however, anything that distracts you from your work is detrimental to your productivity.
Do not let yourself get distracted. Instead, follow the suggestions listed above to get back in the focus and avoid distractions. Your work and productivity will be grateful for them in the future.