It’s a well-known fact that a lot of people hate their jobs, which is why most people also have trouble concentrating when working. For the select few that love their jobs, it is also normal to find your attention drifting away every once in a while.
Distractions are major work impediments. When you cannot concentrate on what you are doing, it becomes difficult to get any major work done and you always have unfinished work on your desk. To be able to have a fully functional career and give your best at work you need to be able to concentrate. Below are ten tips on how to identify and avoid distractions at work.
1. Identify the Cause of the Distraction
Find out what is making you distracted. Without finding out the cause of the distraction, it will be more difficult to eliminate it. Distractions can be caused by internal or external forces. External forces are sources of distraction around you like a noisy colleague or humming machine. A wandering mind, on the other hand, is an internal source of distraction which makes it hard to keep track of your thoughts. Identifying it will help you make conscious attempts to avoid distractions.
2. Put Yourself on The Clock
Another way to be able to prevent distractions when working is to give yourself a deadline. Most people are more motivated to work when they are working within a time constraint. This also goes hand in hand with rewards and punishment. Rewards come when you are able to meet up with the deadline. Rewards could be watching your favorite movie, treating yourself to your favorite dinner or playing a game you have been looking forward to.
3. Plan It Out
Make a plan. As the popular saying goes “he who fails to plan, plans to fail”. Make a strategy and if you start feeling overwhelmed divide the task at hand into smaller tasks. Give yourself breaks to relax your brain when you finish a task, after all, a relaxed brain beats a tense brain.
4. Offline Mode
The thought of turning off your internet may seem scary but people concentrate more without alerts and notifications popping up on their phone screen. You can also minimize your computer screen to be as less distracting as possible.
5. Conducive Work Place
Make sure you love your work environment. Keep your desk arranged and clean, make sure your table and chair are in the right proportion so it will not kill your back. Also, make sure that your desk is not facing something or someone distracting.
6. Lock It Out
If you get easily distracted by noises around you, wear headphones. You can also listen to your favorite music while you work. Music has the power of making even the most mundane task less boring. The right music also matters. Some music will put you to sleep while others will give you a headache.
7. Stay Organized
Clusters are distracting. Keep yourself from getting distracted by arranging your desk in an orderly manner. Keep away pictures of things that trigger daydreaming but instead, keep things that motivate and inspire you.
8. A Healthy Diet
Eat well. A hungry mind is not a fully functional one. Brainpower burns a lot of calories. When you are working a job that requires a lot of brainpower, it’s very wise you to keep yourself well-fed so you won’t get distracted by hunger.
9. Sleep
Lack of sleep or rest can cause a deficiency in attention span. It’s s good to be well-rested when you get to work to be able to function fully.
10. Exercise
Physical exercise helps the brain stay sharp. There are also specific exercises for attention span like the Lotus pose from yoga or mind exercises that help with concentration like online reading games, name the color test, etc.
The irony is that this very list is distracting me from work.
A distracting work environment is very bad for productivity and causes serious financial loss. Employees who are constantly distracted cannot be productive and accomplish their work. A noisy office causes stress, which interferes with concentration. If the boss refuses to correct the bad environment, then leave. You don’t need a lot of noise and stress in your working life, which is difficult enough.