Whenever we sit down to complete our work, let it be a house chore, office work, project, or study, we always face some distractions. And these distractions affect our productivity. The time we have to give to a particular job increases and hence; as a result, we can only perform a lesser number of tasks. So, what to do? That’s exactly what we are going to tell you in this article.
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Unnecessary Talks
As humans are social animals, it is obvious we will talk to each other; however, unnecessary talks that are neither here nor there are only going to waste your time. Especially if you are in the middle of some work and someone comes to you to do little talks, it will ruin your focus and your time.
How to deal with it?
When someone approaches you for such small talks, you can politely point out that you are in the middle of something, and then when you take a break from your work, you can go to them and continue your chit chat.
Unarranged Priorities
It is hard to get everything done in a timely manner, everybody tries, but we are only humans too. So, in such cases, when we have numerous works overlapping, we need to prioritize our work. We need to decide which work needs our immediate attention and which ones can wait. After all, our work will probably never end, and it’s all a matter of priority.
How to deal with it?
You should make a task list including everything you need to do and then give them numbers in ascending order (order of increasing importance) or descending order (order of decreasing importance) to ensure which you should be working first.
Unarranged Workplace
Think about this, you have sat down to work and realized you need a pen. You get up, pick a pen, sit down to work when you again realize you forgot a pad. So, like this, there are many things one needs while working and when you have to get up again and again to gather all your stuff needed to work, your work rhythm gets disturbed.
How to deal with it?
Make sure to set up a workspace. Preferably, you should set up a table and a chair in a quiet place and keep all your necessary things there.
Background noises
When we try to work on, say, an office presentation on our laptop or trying to study, our focus is on the laptop screen or book in front of us. So, nothing can distract us, right? What about background noises? They constantly distract us, don’t they? Our eyes would be on the work in front of us, but our ears are always wandering to hear this gossip or that.
How to deal with it?
You can close the door to lessen the noise. Or, go to a nearby library for a quiet place. Small cafes or parks might do the trick too.
Social media
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Pinterest, your what’s app, and the list goes on and on. Think about this, if you give even 20 minutes to every social media platform you have, that is still a lot. Even if you just see all the messages, replying to everyone, and keeping yourself posted.
How to deal with it?
First of all, make sure your notifications are off when you are doing some critical work. Secondly, decide a specific timeframe and use social media only in that timeframe.
It might take massive control and huge willpower, but it will be worth it in the end.
Multitasking
Multitasking is a talent, but sadly not all of us have it. An article in the Harvard Business Review tells us that our productivity goes down by 40% when we focus on several things. It also affects our creativity as humans can only use one part of their brain at a time while different parts are needed to perform different functions. So, it is better to study one subject first and leave the worry of another subject later instead of not studying anything.
How to deal with it?
You can make a schedule and abide by it. We try to multitask many times because of the pressure on us. So, you can work for, say, 50 minutes in an hour and use the rest 10 minutes to calm yourself and gain back your focus.
Wandering thoughts
When we sit down to work, we forget what we were doing. Because our minds keep wandering around, and we are unable to focus. And before you know it, you have wasted 10 minutes.
How to deal with it?
The best way is to remind yourself what your current goal is whenever you feel your thoughts wandering.
Smartphones
Now about the king of distractions. Smartphones are very useful, no doubt, but they are also the biggest distraction in our work. Let’s always hear one more song or watch one more episode of that anime or read one more article. And what is the technology that can provide ALL of this for us? SMARTPHONES!
How to deal with it?
• You should put your phone somewhere far from yourself.
• You should turn the internet off.
• Make sure the notifications are off.
• And most importantly, have some self-control.
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