Control Workplace Distractions

January 27, 2018

It is the human tendency that we get distracted by certain things.

“Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking them from their desired things” and distraction in general is by- the lack of ability to pay attention, lack of interests, and attractiveness of something other than the object of attention. It can be caused by:

Noise
example: Phone ringing, people chatting, coffee machines, etc.

The Internet
Accessing the internet apart from work related (chatting, listening to music, watching videos, etc.) always causes distraction.

You’re Multi-tasking
In the modern workplace multitasking is often seen as constantly adding new tasks to your list, it is highly distracting as you tend to do all tasks at a time with no proper strategies.

One of the best things to do Multi-tasking is to breakdown the task.

Co-workers keep asking for Help
It feels good to say YES to everything, but you are distracted from your own tasks while others are delegated their work to you. Instead, you can suggest them to make a list of questions and get the answers from them during the meeting. This will allow them to work and complete the tasks.

Office Chatter
Office life is busy and according to a study, in an hour every 11min a person gets disturbed on an average.

Office Design
Given that most of the people spend at least 8hrs a day sitting, it comes no surprise that the design of the workplace has significant effect on health, comfort, and productivity.

Adjustable Chairs
If you are positioned at right angles when your knees and elbows are, your monitor should be eye level as well as also the office design and decor do have an effect on productivity.

Seven Ways to Stay Focused

Work in Chunks
One of the best ways to focus and boost the productivity is to make your time in segments and plan accordingly. This is called as POMODORO technique.

Use a Time Tracker
Make more aware of the time you are spending on a particular task over the long run; one may cut or maximize the time accordingly.

Know when you Work Best
If you are a morning person, then plan the things for the day and do it accordingly to get the maximum productivity. Fresh mind will get things done faster.

Make a TO-DO-LIST
Making a TDL helps you to do things better, without TDL your brain is just working too hard and cycling on all the important and non-important things. So, a TDL always help you to make a plan for a day, where you just need to prioritise the things based on the urgency.

Keep Time Suck Temptation at Bay
Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, etc. all the stuff related to social media has to be put off. Instead, it is recommended to keep your phones on the silent mode, so that you won’t get disturbed at the workplace. Many of the businesses block many of the social media websites on your computer during the work hours.

Start your Day with the Hardest Thing
Begin with the hardest and proceed with the easy things, which are scheduled for the particular day.

Stop Reacting Immediately
Keep yourself low towards the calls that distract your attention instantly.

Some other ways are-

  • Prepare yourself before you start to work and make sure everything is ready, so that you don’t have to waste time looking for the things.
  • Notes should be on your desktop.
  • Plan productivity.
  • Invest in some sound cancelling headphones.
  • Make it clear to your co-workers when you want to focus.
  • Keep the temperature (21-23 degree Celsius)
  • Have a healthy snack options.

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