Distractions are a constant variable, especially in the workplace.
If you have to share your office space with fellow colleagues or if you have common projects to work on with other people, then you will discover that it is easy, if not taken care of, for people to drift away from the actual job of the day.
If you feel like you’re always under the gun at work or not getting enough done, it could be because you are not spending all your time working. There are a couple of reasons for this lack of productivity. You might find reasons to blame it on the management or on your bosses or on the communication channel, but the truth is that you may not be applying all your skills to concentrating on work and getting things done.
If you find yourself under the umbrella of distractions at work, then these tips might help you deal with it and improve your productivity.
- If you are lucky enough to have an office with a separate entrance or door, do well to lock it. Not a lot of people have this privilege but if you find that you can lock your door, please do so. This will help you focus and keep your ears away from public conversations.
- Budget Your Time. Ever looked up from your desk and realize that the day is far spent and you have less than an hour to go before the close of business? You are not alone. To avoid this, it will be great if you can budget your time accordingly, taking note of the free time, important phone calls, meetings and all that is required. If you do so, you are more likely to accomplish more before the day ends and you will be able to keep track of what you spent your time on.
- Stay away from your Mobile devices. Constant use of your phones and unending phone calls will definitely make you unproductive. Keep your phone down and only answer your calls if it is important. Anyone that knows you are at work and keeps calling should be cautioned except it is worth it.
- Use your off hours if you have to. If you realize that you indulge more in phone calls and “office gist” during office hours, then you can begin to think about using your free time to make up for the unproductivity.
- Use a headphone if you have to. If the distractions are accompanied by some audio effect like the television in the office, you could play what keeps you calm and concentrated with your headphones.
- Stop checking your phones incessantly. Schedule the time for checking your emails especially your personal emails. If you keep refreshing your inbox, you will not get any work done.
If you are really engaged in something, try to avoid eye contact with the co-workers and concentrate as much as you can. The aim is to do the job that you are paid for and more. Let’s get to work guys.
