Top 10 Ways To Avoid Distractions While Working

[Essy]

Eliminate Distractions and Boost Productivity with These 6 Tips
1 Create a schedule and stick to it.
2 Take a lunch hour and frequent breaks.
3Get some outdoor time (if possible)
4 Keep your workspace organized. .
5 Turn off desktop and phone notifications.
6 Restrict time on your phone.

My own view though, but I think that whe one has a pile of job to do one shouldn't get a break because that may be an opportunity to meet someone or hear something and be distracted.

 

[Stnicholaz]

I have dialy target at work and try my best to stick to the plan. I don't focus on anything that's not related to my work. My phone is always on silent in my workplace to avoid distraction.

 

[Adebayonle7]

You have said it all and I have learnt a great deal from the write ups above especially from the aspect of taking breaks between the job, my work used to be that much to the extent that I don't observe breaks, had to discuss with my boss as regards getting a partner to reduce the workload and to enable me take breaks to boost my energy. This is also good for better health

 

[Kaffyfolla]

Before you get started work, pick a day in your week to keep track of everything you do. Identify the distractions that come your way, and which take the most of your time. This exercise will help you pinpoint and distinguish the legitimate distractions from those that could be delegated to others or put aside for later. Identify the two most important tasks on your list and become hell-bent on achieving them, as we work, we get tired; we lose our focus. So don’t overdo it. Give yourself a set amount of time to work, and reward yourself with a break in between each scheduled cycle.

 

[tray591]

I have dialy target at work and try my best to stick to the plan. I don't focus on anything that's not related to my work. My phone is always on silent in my workplace to avoid distraction.

That is very true in working place you need to put your phone on silent and be more focus and well concentrated only then you will avoid people distraction because by then someone that stay around you will notice you are busy and wont even care to bring any play that will distract you

 

[Justin]

Prioritize your work, work on high paying task first and low paying task later, and work in short sessions instead of working many hours on the task. These are my favorite ways to avoid distractions.

 

[Laurentta]

These are very important points. I feel the key point to avoid distractions while working is to be self disciplined.

 

[Shaffy]

To manage distractions, I've had to uninstall social media platforms and this has helped tremendously. I also look for environment that has little to no distractions to help me concentrate

 

[Good-Person]

I have always preferred to not to get disturbed while working and who would not want to? I have a separate room in my house and I work there daily and no one disturbs me there,.

 

[YERUS]

It is very tricky to remain focused in your workplace. Whether you are working from an office set up or your home. There are phone calls to return and emails to respond to, not to mention the allure of sending a short text or WhatsApp message to a friend.

Minor distractions may appear to be innocuous. After all, what is five minutes out of the entire 8 hours? However, frequent interruptions can wreak havoc on your productivity and degrade the quality of your work.

If you find yourself getting distracted at work very often, don’t worry, this article is meant for you. We explore the top ten ways to avoid distraction while working. If you follow them keenly, you will end up leading a more productive life and do more work during the same 8 hours long day period.

1. Associate with productive people at work.

Focus or lack of it is contagious. If you hang around with people who idle around the workplace, they will also drag you into their behavior. And within no time, you will find yourself doing what they are doing. Therefore, it is essential that while at work, you distance yourself from the lazy or idlers.

If you have some work to do, sit by yourself in your office or a quiet corner. Alternatively, you can sit with those busy people, so that they will inspire you to concentrate on your job too.

2. Divide your work into smaller chunks.

Another easy way to avoid distractions is to divide your bigger goals into smaller achievable goals. When you have smaller targets on your schedule, you will be more motivated to work towards them. Bigger goals will discourage you very much, especially when you realize they are not achievable.

To do this, simply divide your core objective into its respective activities. Look at each activity as a sub-objective to the bigger objective. This way, you will have quick wins, and it will motivate you to do more.

3. Switch of all notifications.

Social media and our phones are the most significant sources of distraction. When you hear a social media chat pop, you will be tempted to read it. That will cost you over 5 minutes of your time that you will never recover.

Suppose you are working on a serious project. Consider switching off all your notification. Avoid anything that will pop or interfere with your attention. I prefer putting my phone on silent, and all calls go straight to voice mail to avoid distracting me at my peak working hours.

4. Set clear boundaries at your workplace.

When you are working on tight schedules, you should let everyone understand that you are not available. You can do this by ensuring everyone knows when not to talk to you. During the productive hours of the morning, your mind will be active and will be able to achieve more work than later in the day.

That way, it is easy to block all the productive hours from people. And letting them know that if they don’t have anything important to tell you during those hours, they shouldn’t distract you.

5. Allow yourself some health breaks.

Working for long hours can be counterproductive. You should allow your body and mind to re-charge after a certain period. When working on a lengthy project, it is good to take 15 to 20 minutes breaks between tasks to ensure you are well energized.

Burnout will occur if you try to work for long hours without rest. During this break, avoid checking your phone or email. Take a walk outside, do some exercise or just take a nap. You will come back to your workspace feeling good and psyched up for the next task at hand.

6. Set time limits for particular tasks.

As described above, it is good to divide your tasks into smaller achievable chunks. To make it even better, you should set time limits for the individual activities that lead to the bigger goal. I use the Pomodoro timer to help me concentrate on my work.

How does it work? The Pomodoro timer is based on the concept of dividing your work hours into 25 minutes with 5-minute breaks in between. After four sessions (1 Pomodoro), you take 15 minutes break). This allows you to consistently deliver on the work at hand and reduce the temptation of engaging in other activities within the 25 minutes.

7. Do not reply to request immediately.

To wade of destructions, you should learn to avoid things that are not urgent and important at the same time. For instance, you can get an email that is not necessarily urgent. You can put it away until when you finish your job before you respond to it.

You should not respond to chats and instant messages immediately.

8. Learn to Say No.

Another easy way of avoiding distractions is by learning to say NO. When your in-tray is full of requests, you should delegate some jobs to someone who can do it better. Then use the time to concentrate on the most productive work on your schedule.

When you don’t say no to the continuous incoming requests, they will continue piling. People will prefer sending work your way because they know you will take it all. You should be bold enough and tell them NO when you think you are all swamped up.

9. Stick to your schedule.

This has more to do with self-management. In order to concentrate on your work, you need to have some self-management skills yourself. Learn to put everything that is not important away and work on those things that earn your more.

If you can set your schedule and stick to it no matter what happens, you will avoid distractions and end up achieving a lot in that period. Everything worthwhile should begin with a plan, and you will want space and environment suitable to developing specific goals.

Self-management is all about being goal-oriented, and self-control is being actively aware of what you’re doing and how you’re spending your time. With a better level of self-management, you always know what is required to complete a task and how it was completed.

Furthermore, you want to perform better; therefore you will ask yourself whether the task was completed on schedule and within budget. You also need to know if everyone was involved and satisfied with the outcome.

10. Prioritize your work.

Prioritizing your work will help you stay organized and focused on the essential tasks ahead. Always work on those tasks that are very important. Some tasks will look urgent, but they are not necessary. At the same time, others will be important yet not urgent.

Once you have divided your activities for the say into chunks, prioritize each activity depending on the nature of the specific task. Doing this routinely will help you plan better and delegate or completely ignore those tasks that don’t add to your greater goal.

Prioritization helps you to focus your energy on tasks based on their impact on the overall project. Those activities that don’t carry much weight should be avoided entirely since they will only distract you from achieving your overall goal.

Conclusion

Developing good habits is essential for avoiding distractions, especially when working. Make clear guidelines before beginning your work. You should define your boundaries and availability right from the start. Let your colleagues know the time that you will least wish to be distracted with requests.

I also take personal initiative and self-management of the highest order to remain focused. All these actions are pegged on the plan you make ahead of your job. Therefore, you should put more hours into planning your work than actually doing it. This will help you to foresee the sources of destruction and make early plans on how to avoid them.

One way i avoid distractions at my workplace is to follow my schedules.
This requires a lot of discipline. At the end of the day, if i had followed my schedules, i realise there were no distractions at all.

 

[McIrx]

Workplace is filled with lots of distractions and one cannot say no to all except if one wants to get in trouble with fellow employees.
My way has always been to prioritize what I needed doing and do it as fast as possible.

 

[Sotherefore]

This writing has really help me a lot because switching off notifications on the phone has really help me in so many ways and has also helped me to avoid a lot of distraction on my WhatsApp, telegram and other social media.. in fact I have to disable them when I am really serious to engage in other things.

 

[Godspower]

Well said. In addition to this, try to avoid things that will serve as triggers for distractions. Avoid music, noise or people who always tend to draw your attention from important tasks.

 

[Lucy ID]

Yes you are right, many of lose focus at our work and get distracted as a result of things you have you find out what makes you distracted at work and try as much as possible to avoid it

 

[kayode10]

The kind of people you move with will determine the quality of your life. it is very important to associate yourself with those who are productive if you want to become productive in the workplace or any other place.

 

[kinqzbitz]

Distractions are major set back from accomplishing a purpose and so one has to be very careful when working in order to avoid distractions,first of all the individual has to be very focused in order to achieve a goal

 

[Good-Person]

Being in an office might distract several people because office environment is quite different from home. People who work at home can also get distracted by their family members, but the chances of that happening are quite low if we compare to getting distracted in the office.

 

[Salimo]

People need to stay focusing while working and I find your tips are very helpful for this objective , I think only we can work with people who have same endeavors than us .

 

[Immilash1]

This a nice article. I've learned a lot from this article, but their are some distraction you can't avoid especially when you are working from home you will find many distractions from different angles.

 

[Kaffyfolla]

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1. Create a schedule and stick to it​

Creating a schedule is one of the best ways to deal with distractions. Aim to wake up and be in front of your desk at the same time every day. Schedule your tasks and a to-do list the night before so you know exactly where to focus your attention the following day. But — and this can’t be stressed enough — you must stick to your schedule. Otherwise, you may find yourself wasting time on unproductive activities.​

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2. Take a lunch hour and frequent breaks​

It sounds counterintuitive, but the most productive workers take frequent breaks throughout the day. The reason is simple — working for long stretches is mentally straining. Taking breaks can help you refresh your focus and improve your mood. The 52-17 rule is particularly effective: it says to work for 52 minutes and take a 17 minute break. Spend this time on whatever is distracting you or use it to grab a quick cup of coffee and catch up with a family member or friend.​

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3. Get some outdoor time (if possible)​

Not everyone can get outside during the coronavirus pandemic, but if you can it will benefit your mental health and keep you focused. One study has even found that spending time outdoors is associated with lower levels of stress. During one of your breaks, take a short walk around your neighborhood or stroll through a park if there’s one nearby.​

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4. Keep your workspace organized​

A cluttered workspace can make you feel overwhelmed with your workload. Declutter your desk and only include those items that you’ll need to get you through the workday. Put accessories and nonessential papers in storage organizers so they are readily available when you need them. Having a tidy and organized desk lets you focus on the work at hand.​

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5. Turn off desktop and phone notificat​

It’s impossible to do your best work when you’re constantly being interrupted by notifications from Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. Multitasking by being active on social media while also working can be detrimental to your productivity. Turn notifications off on your work computer or set your smartphone to “Do Not Disturb” during work hours.​

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6. Restrict time on your phone​

If you just can’t resist checking your phone during work hours, one thing you can do is set restrictions. With Screen Time on iOS devices or Digital Welling on Android, you can see how much time you’re spending on your device and even set daily limits. If you exceed your limit, your phone will automatically shut you out of certain applications.​

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7. Establish ground rules with your family or roommates​

If you live with family or have roommates, make sure they know your working hours and respect your workspace. Set up a signal to let others know when not to disturb you. An example could be if you have your headphones on or your door is closed, then you should not be disrupted. Additionally, share your work schedule with others in your household so they know what time you will take breaks, have lunch and stop working for the day. All nonessential questions and discussions should wait until those times.​

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8. Set daily goals and objectives​

Another way to eliminate distractions is to divide your projects into daily goals and objectives and stick to them. It’s easier said than done, of course, which is why having a productivity system can help you stay on track. One system that has worked for The Muse, an online career platform, is the 1-3-5 rule. Here’s the gist: Set out to achieve one big task, three medium tasks and five little tasks every day.​

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9. Make sure your internet is reliable and speedy​

You depend on a reliable internet connection to do your work. Any connection issues could hamper your productivity. To avoid any delays, it’s important to have a back-up plan. For example, you could use a mobile hotspot device like a MiFi if your home connection starts to slow down or you could head to a cafe to work. If you operate an online business, it’s worth investing in a fast web host to ensure your website can handle more traffic.​

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10. Use quality video conferencing software​

Use high-quality video conferencing software to facilitate meetings with your team and to keep your manager updated on what you’re working on. This prevents any miscommunication and keeps everyone on the same page. Such face-to-face interaction is the closest experience to being in the same room with your coworkers and lets you pick up on nonverbal cues that are often missed with other forms of communication tools like email, audio conferencing and chat app​

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