Distractions can easily hamper your success in both your personal and professional life. A large problem with working in an office, worksite, and staff room—perhaps even a home office—is that distractions can affect you daily.
Distractions may cause you to miss deadlines, create lower quality work, or use up time that you really can’t afford to lose.
How to Minimize Distractions
Distractions impact your success to some degree. If you give an aspect of your duties less attention, then that aspect will suffer.
Ignoring the wishes of your boss and clients will definitely affect your effectiveness and success in your career. Ignoring the quality of your work may betray your own objectives, ultimately killing your career.
When you aim to be successful in your job, it is important to take all of your obligations seriously. So what can you do to minimize distractions around the home and office?
The Computer
Let’s start by focusing on the computer, one of the best and worst instruments of concentration and distraction. Close any computer windows that are not directly related to what you are working on at the moment.
Do you have a habit of checking your blog, email, or Facebook every few minutes? This is distracting.
Not only does continually switching from one unrelated activity to another rob you of work time, but it also robs you of your train of thought. It may take several minutes to get that high concentration level back.
Take Breaks
The fact of the matter is that most electronic distractions are bad for productivity, while most active distractions could actually help. For starters, try to schedule frequent breaks, especially if you are working on the computer.
Take a break now and then, not only to rest your eyes and stretch your arms but also to give your brain a much-needed “breather.” The good idea is to leave the computer screen and walk around the building or the block a few times.
Find a quiet space for 15 minutes to meditate or relax. This refreshes your mind, lets your body relax, and your eyes escape the screen for just a few moments.
I have heard some people say that having a 10-15 minute break every 90 minutes has a positive effect on your productivity.
Try to reduce the number of distractions around your work area. If this is causing you a problem, you may consider minimizing the clutter around your office so it no longer distracts you.
Do you have any other suggestions for removing distractions? Please share them in the comments!