You’re almost always on time. You take strictly one-hour lunch breaks. You come prepared. You sometimes stay overtime. Why do you feel like you’re always out of time and not getting things done?
Even if you log in the work hours, the complete 9 to 5, sometimes you feel it’s just not enough. The problem? Most of that time isn’t time spent working. More accurately, that time isn’t time spent productively.
A lot of things can happen that eat away at our productive time at the office. Too many meetings are one of them – but that’s a story for another time. You may not have control over some factors at play, but you can control the one thing that keeps any of us from accomplishing anything – distractions.
I don’t recommend NOT taking breaks, or NOT making small talk at the water cooler. Too much work will drive you crazy and you need a breather from time to time. Besides, The Pomodoro productivity technique advocates taking breaks after 25-minute intervals. And it’s also healthy to stretch your legs and get up from your desk to reduce backaches and eye strain.
Taking a break is a healthy method to boost your productivity. But you still have to stay focused and eliminate distractions. Here’s how:
Stop checking your phone!
You heard me. Put your phone down now. Keep it on vibrate mode. Make a conscious decision to just check your phone at certain times of the day. Like after every 2 hours – that wonderfully coincides with your breaks, if you’re taking 2-hour break intervals (2 coffee breaks and lunch in between). If it’s an important call, then your phone will keep vibrating. If it’s a Facebook notification, then it shouldn’t bother you and you can leave it for later.
Work in intervals.
Budget your time and work in intervals. Plan to work uninterrupted for a specific amount of time (I recommend 25 minutes) and concentrate, I mean really focus, on getting your work done. Then take a break afterwards. This technique is called The Pomodoro Technique and I’ve written about it here. It breaks up your time into chunks of highly focused work and every break feels like a reward. You can learn how to do it by reading the article.
Use a To-Do list.
I never write more than 3 priority tasks on my to-do list. If you write everything down as a priority (even those that feel like a priority even if they really aren’t), then you risk burning out. So, list your top 3 (at most – better if just one priority task) and get to work on checking them off the list.
Close the door.
The door is there for a reason. It signals to others you are not to be disturbed AND more importantly, it keeps out distractions like noise and visual distractions (people moving around, stacks of paper near the copier, brightly colored balloons for the months themed decor, etc.) So, close the door…. if you have one.
How do you avoid work distractions? Share your tips in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.
Written by Jaie O. The Help