Syed Balkhi — March 8, 2019 It seems like no matter what we do there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done on our agenda. After some soul-searching, we wondered if maybe we didn’t have too much to do, but maybe the distractions in our environment are making it impossible to get work done on time.
Does this sound familiar? There’s a good chance it might be true for you.
Believe it or not, 69 percent of workers struggle to stay focused on their job, according to one Udemy study. Since over half the population has a problem with distractions, maybe it’s time to dive in and take a look at some of these distractions, and figure out how to silence them so we can become more productive employees and employers.
Stop the Technology Overload
One of the biggest problems people have when it comes to distractions is their phone or computer. At this point, our phones are pocket computers and that has proven to be both a gift and a curse. Now we are able to check our emails, answer business partners faster, check our website’s analytic data, and find out the answer to questions we may have in seconds.
The curse? There is a barrage of websites that can slow us down and cause a lack of productivity. Between social media, YouTube, countless news outlets, entertainment websites, and more, it’s no wonder we sometimes end up with productivity brain freeze.
One survey discovered that 62 percent of respondents spend at least an hour a day on their phones doing non-work related activities, while on the clock. This can be a major blow to the productivity of your company and your career.
Try to focus instead on removing the troublesome websites and devices from your work area while you are on the clock. Simply turning your phone on silent and putting it in your bottom drawer is a great way to curb that instinct to check your phone every time you get a notification.
Declutter Your Space
We get it, you’re a busy guy or gal. It’s hard to get everything you need to be organized and in a proper place when you’re constantly juggling 10 tasks at once. The truth is, clutter can have a serious impact on how productive you are in the office.
Psychology Today reports that clutter can put your brain in a state where you never feel at ease. There are feelings of guilt, overthinking, and just overall really bad emotions linked to how cluttered your space is — including your workspace!
Decluttering doesn’t have to be a tedious process. Most people are able to accomplish this task in two steps and in less than twenty minutes. Basically, you’re going to want to look for everything that you don’t need anymore and either file it or throw it out.
Once you’ve got rid of everything you don’t need, it’s time to sort through what’s left. You don’t have to be a perfectionist, so few of us are, but you should try to organize your belongings so you feel comfortable, content, and can find everything you need at a moment’s notice.
Set a Schedule
Setting a schedule is one of the most pivotal parts of success, especially when you are your own boss or work from home. It seems easy at the time to think that you’ll get that big project done later, but when later never comes, or comes late, you could find yourself facing some trouble.
You should try to plan your day every single day so you know what tasks are coming up, what problems you may face, and how you plan on resolving your schedule throughout the day. This is a great opportunity to invest in a marketing or business calendar for easy referencing and even more organization.
Live a Healthy Lifestyle
Living a healthy lifestyle seems obvious, but many people don’t realize the impact living healthy can have on your life. You don’t have to be a nutritional freak to live a healthy life either. It’s small, simple changes that can dramatically improve your productivity at work.
If you’re willing to make small changes like sleeping for 6-8 hours instead of 4, avoiding fast food when you can, and cooking yourself healthy, homemade dinners you’ll find yourself feeling better and staying more focused while at work.
As you begin to implement changes in your life like staying organized to avoid distractions, hiding your phone to avoid obsessively checking it, and living a healthy lifestyle you’ll discover that it is possible to finish your workload daily instead of working outrageous hours and accomplishing little. Progress is key. Think about these changes over the next couple days, weeks, and months and think about how you can implement fixes to your work routine so you can avoid unnecessary distractions once and for all.
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