Kan Dail
A strong focus when starting to work is the ultimate thing that you need to have. Thus the work can run smoothly according to deadlines. If you are not focused, it is possible that the work cannot be completed effectively and on time even though you are constantly being chased by the deadline.
Not focusing on work or unproductive working can happen due to distractions that come from external factors. Those of you who can not overcome these distractions will usually neglect the work, and thus it will affect your professionalism.
To be productive again, the distractions that could hamper your focus should be avoided at all costs. Keep on reading to know the ultimate 8 tips you can do to reduce work distractions while in the office!
1. Avoid Opening Social Media
Social media is one of the many work distractions that people often face nowadays. To focus on doing your work, you should keep your smartphone away while working.
Looking at social media like Instagram or TikTok will affect your concentration easily. You will be too engrossed in watching the video, and as the hour’s tick by – unfinished work keeps piling up and you are just a short time away from your deadline!
You can open social media from time to time during working hours to refresh your mind. But remember to be mindful of the timing. Open it only during lunch break, and never do it during working hours. You definitely do not want to look unprofessional by your team members or supervisor, if they caught you sneaking time to open social media.
Being strict with your social media consumption during working hours is important, because this way, you will be able to limit potential distractions and instead focus more on getting the work done.
2. Use Earphones
Some people like to listen to music while working because it can make the brain more relaxed, thus their work can run smoothly. However, not a few also feel that the presence of music interferes with concentration and causes distractions for them.
If you are the kind of person who needs music to work, make sure that you never put it on speaker. Use earphones instead to avoid disturbing other people. But if you are the latter, and currently facing distraction issues due to your co-worker always putting their music on blast, the solution that you can do is by using noise-canceling earphones that can help to reduce the sound around. This can be the ultimate strategy to maintain concentration despite the working distraction around you.
3. Create a Timetable
Confusion in determining work priorities can also be a thing that interferes with your work. Often this confusion makes you do other lesser things which results in neglect of work. To overcome this, you can create a timetable.
Timetables can be made in detail starting from what work must be done first along with the deadline. By creating a timetable you can work according to a schedule so that you are more productive in finishing your daily work.
4. Put Aside Personal Problems During Working Hours
Putting aside personal matters does not mean you can not get them done. You have to be able to divide your time well so that it does not interfere with work productivity. An article even states that almost 25% of an employee’s time in the office is to take care of their personal matters. This is definitely not the right and professional thing to do. If you focus more on personal problems, it can make the work that you should finish uncompleted or even get neglected.
5. Dividing Tasks
When everyone in the office relies on you to do various jobs, it may be difficult for you to manage your time. You will end up neglecting your work responsibility due to distractions from others. Try to consult with your boss or co-workers to solve the problem.
You can divide tasks, for example by not attending meetings that do not need you, so you can do other priority work instead.
6. Limit Time to Chatters With Colleagues
Chatting with colleagues can indeed be one way to socialize and refresh your mind. But you also need to limit chatting time so as not to disturb each other’s work. It would be wiser to not talk with each other often during working hours, especially if it is not related to work matters.
7. Tidy Your Desk Regularly
Not only does it give a bad impression, a messy office desk will affect your mood and performance at work. Working in a messy situation will certainly make the mind more chaotic and stressful. Keeping your desk tidy is very important so you can stay focused and limit any distractions while working. To keep your desk clean, you can clean it right after you finish working.
8. Don’t Open Emails too Often
Opening an email too often can interfere with your work because it can distract you from the current work that you do. It does not mean you shouldn’t check your email at all. Because checking email is also important in case there is something urgent that you need to tackle.
What you can do instead, is by making an alert that you should open your email every 3 hours. Thus, you can have a productive time working and at the same time always get updated information through email. You should also allow email notifications on your laptop, thus in case there is any urgent email coming into your inbox, you can respond to it ASAP.
These are the ultimate tips that can help you to reduce work distraction and maintain focus to finish work productively. Hopefully, these tips above can help your work go smoothly!