We live in a world of instant messaging, push notifications, and 5G networks, all of which distract us significantly from work. According to the Mopria workplace survey, working parents encounter a distraction every 25 minutes during their workday, which is 37% more frequent than their non-parental colleagues.
So, how can we deal with this distraction and boost the workflow? We have listed eight ways in which you can do so.
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Reduce Background Noise
Background noise might indeed hinder your productivity at work. It could be the latest slice of gossip, loud brewing of coffee, nearby construction, coworkers talking on the phone, a loud sneeze at the other end of the room, etc.
So, what are we to do? You might start by looking for a quieter area in the office. If it’s impossible to do this, you can buy the best noise-canceling headphones and listen to focusing music.
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Clean Your Surroundings
Stress is a result of clutter. When your workspace is disorganized, it can be challenging to focus on your duties and drain your energy. It makes sense that the proverb “Tidy desk, tidy mind” exists.
Because of this, you must improve your organization level and eliminate all the clutter impeding your capacity to continue being productive.
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Turn Off Notifications
Today, managing your alerts is a valuable skill because they hinder our ability to get into the flow of our work, demotivate us from giving it our all, and leave us feeling unfulfilled.
Facebook is by far the worst attention thief. According to an Udemy survey, 59% of the general public agrees that using technology for personal purposes is more distracting than using it for work purposes. Facebook was cited as a workplace distraction by an astounding 86 percent of respondents – twice as many as Instagram.
Switch off push notifications or turn off your phone entirely if you get constantly tempted to check it when it buzzes. In this manner, you’ll be able to return to work peacefully and increase your focus time in peace.
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Avoid Chatter
One of the most challenging distractions is chatty coworkers, particularly when you don’t want to appear rude. The amount of noise each generation can tolerate while they wish to concentrate on their work is significantly different. It was concluded from a recent study by Future Workplace under contract with Plantronics. Inc.
Up to 52% of Gen Z say they are most productive when conversing with someone or working in a noisy environment. It contrasts with the 60% of Baby Boomers who want absolute silence to work.
Use the door to your advantage if your workplace has one to let people know you don’t want to be disturbed. If there isn’t a door and you need some peace, put on noise-canceling headphones and let your coworkers know you don’t want to be bothered.
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Utilize Productivity Apps
It’s difficult to focus on things when you are jumping in and out of meetings. Using productivity tools such as Slack, Friday, Asana, etc., will help you manage your daily schedule better. For instance, when you use Slack, you can employ focus time blocking, where you can block the unnecessary distractions and focus better with the whole team.
Another app integration, GetPulse, helps to put your Slack Status on autopilot, and changes it according to your availability. Along with this, users can check their Google calendar, access their drive and edit/share documents with coworkers easily, avoiding unnecessary chatter.
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Be Less Social
According to a study conducted by CareerBuilder, among the list of disruptions that alter work quantity, mobile phone texting amounts to 55%, and the internet amounts to 41%.
Use the door to your advantage if your workplace has one to let people know you don’t want to be disturbed. If there isn’t a door and you need some peace, put on noise-canceling headphones and let your coworkers know you don’t want to be there.
For social media silence, try using a website filter. Close all web browsers while working on the current duties if you cannot use a blocker just yet.
This is the only option if the previously mentioned remedies don’t work. Delete your accounts. This may seem drastic, but if social media scrolling has seriously impaired your focus, it may be your only option. Delete your social media accounts and observe how your job productivity increases if you want to learn how to be more productive at work.
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Work Alongside Productive People
Work with people who are focused on productivity and motivated to avoid distractions. Find a group at the workplace and surround yourself with them while you finish your daily tasks. Besides finding the will to keep working, there aren’t many chances for unneeded diversions.
It might be time to look for a different place to work if you can’t find these people in your current company.
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Take A Break
During the workday, many individuals forget to take breaks in between a heavy workload. Think about taking a quick break every hour to give your mind a breather from working mindlessly on your tasks. You can stretch, eat a snack, walk, read a few pages of a book, or listen to music. They enable you to cut down on distractions and can improve the overall quality of your job productivity.
According to a Staples study, up to 57% of US employees would leave their desks to buy food. The lost output from these absences from work cost the US economy 2.4 billion hours. Therefore, it is essential to take fruitful breaks.
Setting a timer can help you keep track of your break so that when it goes off, you’ve finished what you were doing and are ready to return to work.
Bottom Line: Best Winning Strategies to Limit Distractions
Eliminating distractions requires choosing to focus on meaningful work rather than low-value hobbies. This involves a lot of self-control and endurance. Given that there will always be distractions, it’s critical to concentrate on establishing these principles little by little.
