Let’s face it; unless you have an office where you can shut the door and completely close yourself off from the world, you are going to have to deal with various distractions throughout the day. These distractions can be anything from someone stopping by your desk to say hello, a neighbor speaking loudly to a client on the phone or someone texting you on your personal phone. As we all know these distractions can be a huge source of frustration throughout your day and although you can’t completely rid yourself of them, there are ways of managing them.
Distraction #1: Your Environment – Are you too hot or too cold? Is it noisy in your work area? Is your desk a mess? All of these things may either support your focus or aid in distracting you from your work. If you know your office is kept at a cooler temperature than you feel comfortable in, bring a sweater to leave on your chair. Making small changes in your daily routine may significantly lessen the distractions that normally interrupt your workflow.
Distraction #2: Your Email – When you see the little notification pop up at the bottom of your screen indicating you have a new email, do you instantaneously check your inbox? It is a natural response to instantly reply to the message, but this can be a big distraction from the task you are currently working on. If you’re working on a big project, try closing your email for an hour. You may be surprised at how much work you actually get done when you devote your whole attention to one project at a time.
Distraction #3: Your Cell Phone – If you walk into any office these days you will see a cell phone out on almost every desk you pass (sometimes even two cell phones! One for work, one for personal use). Most people don’t leave the house without their cellphone in hand. This has become ‘the norm’, but it may also be a huge distraction at work. If you see a social media notification go off on your cell phone or a new text message, you’ll most likely stop what you’re doing and check it. Like the emails, try turning off your phone and putting it in a draw. Make it a point to only check it twice a day while at work.
Distraction #4: People – It’s no secret, other people are a distraction. Do your best to try to avoid getting stuck in excessively long conversations about your weekend or ‘water cooler’ chat.
Like people do with food journals to keep track of caloric and food intake, try keeping a ‘time management log’ to see how much time you’re spending on each task throughout the day. Being aware of the time you’re wasting is the first step in avoiding distractions!
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